Government responses to a fast-spreading outbreak of the potentially deadly virus diphtheria were initially too slow, a peak Aboriginal health body says.
The criticism came as federal Health Minister Mark Butler admitted "something has gone wrong" to allow such an outbreak when most developed countries had relegated the disease to the "dustbin of history".
More than 230 diphtheria cases have been recorded across Australia in mostly Indigenous communities in the year to date - about 30 times the usual yearly average.
About 60 per cent of cases of the potentially deadly disease have been in the Northern Territory, with more infections in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.
The outbreak has triggered a $7.2 million federal cash injection to help control the spread as authorities stressed the importance of getting vaccinated.
