Description: – Diphtheria typically causes a sore throat, fever, swollen glands and weakness. But the hallmark sign is a sheet of thick, gray material covering the back of throat. This material can block windpipe so that struggle for breath
Today, Diphtheria is extremely rare in the United States and other developed countries to widespread vaccination against the disease.
Medication is available to treat diphtheria. However, in advance stages, diphtheria can cause damage to heart, kidneys and nervous system. Even with treatment, diphtheria can be deadly as many as 10% of people who get Diphtheria die of it
Cause: – The Bacterium CORYNEBACTERIUM DIPTHERIAE cause Diphtheria. Usually C. Diphtheria multiply on or near the surface of the mucous membranes of the throat. C. diphtheria spreads via 3 routes:
1) Airborne Droplets. When an infected person’s sneeze or cough releases a mist of contaminated droplets, people nearby may inhale C. Diphtheria.
2) Contaminated personal items. People occasionally catch diphtheria from handling an infected person’s used tissues, drinking from the person’s unwashed glass, or coming into similarly close contact with other items on which bacterial-laden secretion may be deposited.
3) Contaminated household items. In rare cases, diphtheria spreads on shared household items, such as towels or toys.
Signs and Symptoms :- signs and symptoms of Diphtheria may include:-
1) A sore throat and hoarseness
2) Swollen gland (enlarged lymph nodes) in neck
3) A thick gray membrane covering throat and tonsils
4) Difficulty breathing or rapid breathing
5) Nasal discharge
6) Fever and chills
7) Malaise
Remedies:-
1) Recovering from diphtheria requires lots of bed rest.
2) Avoiding any physical exertion is particularly important if heart has been affected.
3) Strict isolation while contagious also is important to prevent spread of the infection
Once recover from diphtheria, need a full course of diphtheria vaccine to prevent a recurrence.
