Diphtheria is a serious and contagious disease that affects breathing. Vaccination is recommended, and symptoms include fever and sore throat. Hospitalization and antibiotics are required for treatment, and the disease can cause heart damage. Lack of vaccination in poorer countries causes periodic epidemics that kill hundreds of children. Efforts to vaccinate those in need are necessary to eradicate diphtheria and prevent unnecessary loss of life.
Diphtheria is a very serious and contagious disease that significantly affects breathing. In some countries, such as the United States, cases of diphtheria are extremely rare due to vaccination. The diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DTP) vaccination is given soon after birth, with several booster vaccinations given in early infancy. Usually, children get a last DTP booster dose at age 12 or 13. Adults can be given a booster if needed, as a booster vaccination is recommended for those traveling to areas where diphtheria is still common.
The initial symptoms of diphtheria show up three to five days after exposure to someone else with the germ. Transmission usually occurs by inhaling droplets of liquids from an infected person. The presence of a person with diphtheria sneezing or coughing is usually enough to contract the disease.
Early symptoms include fever and sore throat. One of the most dangerous aspects of the disease is the formation of a membrane over the throat, nose and in the bronchial tubes, which can have a significant impact on breathing. Swollen glands under the throat make breathing problems worse. Those with diphtheria often have a croup-like cough that cannot be resolved by exposure to night air.
Because the membrane thickens over the throat, doctors may need to perform an intubation or tracheostomy to maintain an airway. People with diphtheria usually require hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics to recover. To complicate matters, diphtheria can also affect the heart and cause serious heart damage. Diphtheria also needs to be treated with a drug called an anti-diphtheria toxin to prevent such damage.
Given the contagious nature of the disease, every case of diphtheria in the United States must be reported to the Centers for Disease Control. The one exception is a relatively minor skin condition which can also be caused by the diphtheria bacterium. This can usually be resolved with oral antibiotics and does not progress to breathing difficulties.
Diphtheria used to claim the lives of thousands of children in the United States and Europe. It is still responsible for many deaths in countries where vaccination is not accessible. Most of those who die of diphtheria die of airway failure, essentially suffocating. The progress of this disease is painful to watch for parents who cannot afford treatment or vaccinations.
The development of sulfonamides, followed by antibiotics, was the first step in finding a cure for a disease that often led to a 20% mortality rate in children. A successful vaccination wasn’t created until after World War II.
Poorer countries often lack the diphtheria vaccine, causing periodic epidemics that kill hundreds of children. Given the effectiveness of vaccination and its relatively low cost, losing children to a now preventable disease is avoidable. Efforts to vaccinate those in countries where vaccine remains too expensive are not meeting the need. Such an effort, many argue, is of great value, since vaccination could help eradicate diphtheria and end unnecessary loss of life.
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