- a thick grey-white coating at the back of your throat.
- a high temperature (fever) of 38C or above.
- feeling sick.
- sore throat.
- headache.
- swollen glands in your neck.
- difficulty breathing and swallowing.
How is diphtheria treated today?
Diphtheria treatment today involves:
Using diphtheria antitoxin to stop the toxin made by the bacteria
from damaging the body. This treatment is very important for respiratory diphtheria infections, but it is rarely used for diphtheria skin infections. Using antibiotics to kill and get rid of the bacteria.
What is the main cause of diphtheria?
Diphtheria is a
serious infection caused by strains of bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae
that make a toxin (poison). It is the toxin that can cause people to get very sick. Diphtheria bacteria spread from person to person, usually through respiratory droplets, like from coughing or sneezing.
What are the 5 types of diphtheria?
- classical respiratory diphtheria.
- laryngeal diphtheria.
- nasal diphtheria and.
- cutaneous diphtheria (skin lesions).
Where is diphtheria most commonly found?
Endemic in many countries in
Asia
, the South Pacific, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Since 2016, respiratory diphtheria outbreaks have occurred in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, Venezuela, Haiti, South Africa, and Yemen.
What happens if diphtheria is left untreated?
Left untreated, diphtheria can lead to:
Breathing problems
. Diphtheria-causing bacteria may produce a toxin. This toxin damages tissue in the immediate area of infection — usually, the nose and throat.
How can you prevent diphtheria symptoms?
Vaccination
.
Keeping up to date
with recommended vaccines is the best way to prevent diphtheria. In the United States, there are four vaccines used to prevent diphtheria: DTaP, Tdap, DT, and Td. Each of these vaccines prevents diphtheria and tetanus; DTaP and Tdap also help prevent pertussis (whooping cough).
Which body part is affected by diphtheria?
Diphtheria can infect
the respiratory tract
(parts of the body involved in breathing) and skin. In the respiratory tract, it causes a thick, gray coating to build up in the throat or nose. This coating can make it hard to breathe and swallow. Diphtheria skin infections can cause open sores or shallow ulcers.
How fast does diphtheria progress?
People infected with the diphtheria bacteria, even if they don’t have any symptoms, can infect others for up to 4 weeks. The incubation period (the time it takes for a person to become infected after being exposed) for diphtheria is
2 to 4 days
, although it can range from 1 to 6 days.
What is the drug of choice for diphtheria?
The recommended antibiotics for respiratory or cutaneous diphtheria is either
erythromycin or penicillin
.
What is the common type of diphtheria?
There are two types of diphtheria:
respiratory and cutaneous
. Respiratory diphtheria involves the nose, throat and tonsils, and cutaneous diphtheria involves the skin.
What is the putrid throat illness?
Medical Definition of Putrid throat
Putrid throat: a historic term for
a severely inflamed throat, with tissue destruction, and fetid odor
, often due to strep throat (streptococcal pharyngitis) or diphtheria.
What diphtheria smells like?
Diphtheria is caused by bacterial infection with Corynebacterium diphtheria. Diphtheria usually affects the larynx or the lower and upper respiratory tracts and causes a sore throat. Some patients with diphtheria have a sickening,
sweetish or putrid odour
in their breath (19).
Can you still get diphtheria if vaccinated?
You cannot get diphtheria from the vaccine
. FACT: Diphtheria can be prevented with safe and effective vaccines. FACT: You cannot get diphtheria from the vaccine. infected person’s nose, throat, eyes and/or skin lesions.
What is black diphtheria?
The
throat infection
causes a gray to black, tough, fiber-like covering, which can block your airways. In some cases, diphtheria infects your skin first and causes skin lesions. Once you are infected, the bacteria make dangerous substances called toxins.
How common is diphtheria now?
In the 1920s, there were between 100,000 and 200,000 cases of diphtheria each year with 13,000–15,000 deaths. Because of widespread immu- nization and better living conditions,
diphtheria is now rare in the United States
(during 2004–2017, state health departments reported 2 cases of diphtheria in the United States).
