Health officials in Erie County have confirmed a travel-related case of diphtheria, a highly contagious bacterial illness that is extraordinarily rare in the United States, and they have identified four West Seneca schools as potential exposure sites. Families connected to Clinton Primary, Northwood Elementary, Winchester-Potters Elementary and East Middle School have been notified as the county works to track down anyone who may have come into contact with the infected person.
According to WIVB, the Erie County Department of Health confirmed the travel-related case and sent notifications to families at all four schools. Northwood Elementary principal Angela Ferri told families in an Oct. 9 letter that the risk of infection is extremely small, according to the Buffalo News. The case's form—respiratory or cutaneous diphtheria—remained unclear, per the same report.
The county is now working with school district leadership to inform students, staff and families about the potential exposure, and health officials are reviewing student immunization records alongside school nursing staff. That review could lead to additional individual notifications sent directly to students who are under-vaccinated or unvaccinated, the department said, per WIVB's report.
What Families Are Being Told to Watch For
Diphtheria spreads through respiratory droplets or contact with infected skin sores, and the department is asking households connected to the four schools to watch for sore throat, fever, swollen neck glands, a thick gray coating in the throat, and skin sores. The station's report says families are being asked to monitor for symptoms through Oct. 18. Anyone who develops symptoms is being told to contact a health care provider right away, explain the potential exposure, and stay home until a doctor clears them to return.
Dr. Karl O. A. Yu offered some context on what makes the two forms of the illness different, telling WIVB, “Respiratory diphtheria is a very dangerous illness. Cutaneous diphtheria is basically a bad skin infection.” Respiratory diphtheria affects the nose, throat and tonsils, while cutaneous diphtheria involves the skin, per the same report.
Why Health Officials Call the Disease Well-Controlled
The Erie County Department of Health has described diphtheria as well-controlled in the United States thanks to routine vaccination with DTaP and Tdap/Td, and the department's figures underline just how rare a confirmed case is domestically. The station's report cites the department saying just 10 cases have been reported nationwide in the past 20 years.
Caregivers with children or staff connected to the four schools are being urged to confirm that their households are current on DTaP and Tdap/Td vaccines, the article notes. Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae and transmitted through respiratory droplets, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
A Wider Regional Uptick in Diphtheria Cases
The West Seneca notifications land against a backdrop of rising diphtheria activity elsewhere in the hemisphere. PAHO reported 163 confirmed diphtheria cases and five deaths across the Americas in the first 21 weeks of 2026 — more than double the total reported over the same period in 2025. Those cases were concentrated in Brazil, Haiti and Peru, with Haiti accounting for 159 infections and all five deaths, the health organization said.```
PAHO also found that more than half of this year's confirmed cases in the Americas involved people who were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status, and that regional coverage for the third dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine fell to 87% in 2024 — below the 95% threshold recommended for community-wide protection. The organization is calling on countries across the region to strengthen routine and catch-up immunization programs and close those vaccination gaps.
