After the introduction of the Diphtheria vaccine in 1921 the cases of diphtheria dropped quickly to reemerge again toward the end of the last decade. Diphtheria still has a death rate of up to 20%, especially in patients younger than 5 or older than 40 years of age.

The bacteria affects the mucosal surfaces inside the mouth the nose or the throat, it forms a thick dirty white crust that will harm a child in two ways:

Pure mechanical obstruction and narrowing of the child's already very small airway

Secretion of a Toxin that causes:

Heart muscle disease and abnormal heart electrical activity

Nerve fibres disease and subsequent paralysis and malfunctioning of these nerves

It is like having a snake attached to your tonsils that keeps secreting its poison inside your body.

Fortunately, there is an antitoxin or a medication that will act on reversing the effect of the diphtheria poison.

Since Diphtheria is a very serious and possibly fatal disease, every close contact to a sick child must receive prophylactic antibiotics and a booster shot of the diphtheria vaccine.

Symptoms that indicate you may have acquired Diphtheria:

• Low-grade fever, but sometimes it goes (>102 °F (39 °C)

• Upper respiratory airway illness with a sore throat, hoarseness, cough, bluish skin discolouration

• Swollen lymph nodes

• An adherent, dense, grey crust covering and attached to the back of your throat.

In severe cases, it can extend to cover the entire airway tree.

You want to catch and treat Diphtheria before it causes heart or nerve damage; The former can lead to the heart failing as a pump with subsequent death. The latter can lead to Muscle weakness and even paralysis, with respiratory muscles involvement it may lead to death

The best prevention of this possibly deadly disease is the Diphtheria vaccine, which we are gladly offering at Dr.Rami Hamed Center.

Written by Dr. Ammar Al Hakim, Pediatric consultant