Diphtheria is not to be taken lightly, because people infected by the bacteria can suffer breathing difficulty and other health problems so intense they might not survive.
“Diphtheria is a bacterial infection that spreads from person to person, usually through coughing or sneezing and sometimes through touching infected people’s open sores,” said Philip Huang, MD, a Dallas public health and preventive medicine specialist . A person can also become infected by sharing a drink or something else used by someone infected with Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the bacteria that causes diphtheria.
“Most people feel sick from diphtheria two to five days after contracting it,” said Dr. Huang, a member of the Texas Medical Association (TMA) Council on Science and Public Health.
Respiratory diphtheria affects breathing, and is the most common type of the disease (the other is skin diphtheria).
“Diphtheria’s bacteria can attach to the respiratory tract and produce a toxin,” Dr. Huang said. “The poison destroys respiratory tissues, making breathing and swallowing difficult. The toxin also can damage the heart, nerves, and kidneys, and cause respiratory failure.” Patients also have a runny nose, sore throat, hoarseness, fever and chills. In addition to organ damage, diphtheria can cause paralysis.
Doctors treat the disease with a diphtheria antitoxin to stop the poison produced by the bacteria from damaging the body. Antibiotics are then used to kill and get rid of the bacteria. But if diphtheria isn’t treated right away, it can be deadly. Dr. Huang said quick care is crucial.
“Without treatment, up to half of patients can die,” Dr. Huang said. “Even with treatment, about 1 in 10 patients dies.”
Diphtheria cases were most prominent in the early twentieth century. In 1920, the infection affected more than 200,000 people and killed 15,000 in the U.S. alone. Then the vaccine to prevent it was introduced. In 2016, after the vaccine was used for decades, only about 7,100 diphtheria cases were reported worldwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
(Interesting side note: Back before the vaccine was widely given, doctors used sled dogs to to deliver diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, Alaska, to beat an epidemic. This was years before the famed Iditarod sled-dog race.)
Vaccine is the best way to prevent diphtheria today. The diphtheria vaccine, along with tetanus and pertussis, became routine for children in the 1940s.
Today, all age groups can get the shot to avoid getting diphtheria. There are four different vaccines available. The CDC recommends this vaccine schedule:
• Infants and children under the age of 7:
o DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis) at 2, 4 and 6 months; 15 to 18 months; and between 4 to 6 years of age. They can also receive the DT (diphtheria and tetanus) vaccine.
• Older children (starting at age 11) and adults:
o Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis), and later, Td (tetanus and diphtheria) booster vaccines.
• Doctors also recommend adults get a Tdap booster every 10 years, and expectant women are advised to get the Tdap during pregnancy.
“This disease is awful, and can be deadly. Protect yourself!” said Dr. Huang.
