--- description: In Spain's first recorded case of diphtheria since 1986, a six-year-old from the Catalan city of Olot was placed in intensive care Wednesday title: Spain Reports First Case of Diphtheria Since 1986 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2931319dd0d2107b/698852f2e20a875c52a8bab6/128637372.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # First Case of Diphtheria in Spain Since 1986 After Parents Shun Vaccination ## Video: Science Cop: How Anti-Vaxxers Put Everyone at Risk [Watch (HLS stream): Science Cop: How Anti-Vaxxers Put Everyone at Risk](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ai82XWJ8.m3u8) (2:06)  _Published 2014-09-24. TIME's Science Cop Jeffrey Kulger takes on the misinformation coming from opponents of childhood vaccinations_ by [Alissa Greenberg](/author/alissa-greenberg/) ## Alissa Greenberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 4, 2015 8:42 AM CUT  Ultrathin section of Corynebacterium diptheriae. Actively growing cells. Corynebacteria are rod-shaped, gram-positive, non motile, non spore-forming bacilli. Though many of the species are pathogenic in domestic animals, birds, and plants, the most import Ultrathin section of Corynebacterium diptheriae. Actively growing cells. Corynebacteria are rod-shaped, gram-positive, non motile, non spore-forming bacilli. Though many of the species are pathogenic in domestic animals, birds, and plants, the most importKwangshin Kim—Photo Researchers/Getty Images by [Alissa Greenberg](/author/alissa-greenberg/) ## Alissa Greenberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 4, 2015 8:42 AM CUT In Spain’s first recorded case of diphtheria since 1986, a six-year-old boy from the Catalan city of Olot [was placed in intensive care](http://elpais.com/elpais/2015/06/02/inenglish/1433262397%5F622650.html "undefined") Wednesday. Authorities confirm that despite free, widely available immunization services, the boy’s parents had opted not to vaccinate him against the bacterial infection. The child is currently being treated with an anti-toxin in Barcelona, but the drug was not easy to find, _El País_ reports. The country’s Health Ministry appealed to the World Health Organization and authorities in the U.S. before finally locating a dose in Russia. “The problem is that these days, no one has this illness. Everyone is vaccinated,” general secretary for the health service, Rubén Moreno, told _El País_. The Russian ambassador to Spain brought the drug by plane from Moscow early Monday. Caused by the bacterium _Corynebacterium diphtheriae,_ diphtheria most frequently infects adults over 60 and children under five. It is spread both through the air and via direct contact and can cause heart problems, nerve damage and severe respiratory distress. The so-called “anti-vaxxer” movement has gained widespread attention in the U.S. recently. Although, according to the Spanish Vaccine Society, 90% of the population is covered by systematic vaccination programs, similar campaigns have gained popularity in Europe. Moreno called these campaigns “irresponsible,” saying, “The consequences of not vaccinating a child can be dramatic. The right to vaccination is for children, not for the parents to decide.” Spain is no stranger to diphtheria: the country survived several epidemics in the 16th and 17th centuries, including a year so deadly that it was nicknamed “The Year of Strangulations,” after the disease’s symptoms. \[[_El País_](http://elpais.com/elpais/2015/06/02/inenglish/1433262397%5F622650.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3908566/spain-diphtheria-infection-disease-disease-vaccination-infection-anti-vaxxer/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3908566/spain-diphtheria-infection-disease-disease-vaccination-infection-anti-vaxxer/"},"headline":"First Case of Diphtheria in Spain Since 1986 After Parents Shun Vaccination","datePublished":"2015-06-04T08:42:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:29:07.960Z","description":"One out of every 10 patients dies from complications of the disease's early symptoms","url":"https://time.com/3908566/spain-diphtheria-infection-disease-disease-vaccination-infection-anti-vaxxer/","keywords":["russia","Spain","Infectious Disease","epidemic","Catalonia","vaccination"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2931319dd0d2107b/698852f2e20a875c52a8bab6/128637372.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alissa Greenberg","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alissa-greenberg/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2931319dd0d2107b/698852f2e20a875c52a8bab6/128637372.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Diphtheria","caption":"","creditText":"Kwangshin Kim—Photo Researchers/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3908566/spain-diphtheria-infection-disease-disease-vaccination-infection-anti-vaxxer/","name":"First Case of Diphtheria in Spain Since 1986 After Parents Shun Vaccination"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Science Cop: How Anti-Vaxxers Put Everyone at Risk","description":"TIME's Science Cop Jeffrey Kulger takes on the misinformation coming from opponents of childhood vaccinations","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ai82XWJ8/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-09-24T20:18:23.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ai82XWJ8.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3908566/spain-diphtheria-infection-disease-disease-vaccination-infection-anti-vaxxer/","duration":"PT2M6S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3908566/spain-diphtheria-infection-disease-disease-vaccination-infection-anti-vaxxer/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```