1. Prevention Through Immunization
At one time diphtheria was a leading cause of childhood mortality. It is not treatment of the disease that has changed this fact. It is prevention of the disease through a worldwide immunization program. Diphtheria is the "D" part of the series of DPT shots given to infants in their first year of life and then boosted again at roughly 18 months. Immunizations have reduced the disease by a factor of 1000. When the disease occurs, its mortality is still a devastating 10%.
2. The Deadly Grey Membrane
Diphtheria affects a person's mucous membranes. It produces a severe sore throat, inflamed glands, and a febrile illness. Its hallmark is a grey "membrane" that covers the back of a person's throat that can make breathing almost impossible. As the disease progresses, it can also affect a patient's heart, nervous system, and kidneys. The most common cause of death is aspiration of the grey membrane, which is a combination of dead cells, inflammation and organisms.
3. How it's Spread
The only carriers for the bacteria that causes diphtheria are human beings. People spread the organism by what are called "fomites," secretions created by coughing, sneezing and contamination of hands following contact with their mucosal membranes. It's easy to see why diphtheria flourishes in countries where there are crowded conditions, where standards of hygiene are not the highest, and where there is a low incidence of immunization. Diphtheria can also take a cutaneous form and the lesions are also infectious.
4. Rumors, Lies, and Innuendos
People have questioned the risks of the diphtheria vaccine a number of times. It has not been attacked to the same degree as the whooping cough vaccination, but it has often assumed guilt by association. The truth is that there have never been any studies that associate the vaccination with significant side effects of any kind. The diphtheria vaccine is very safe. The side effects that do occur, including fever, febrile seizures, and pain at the injection site, are usually self-limiting. Any parent who chooses to keep a child from immunization is placing that child at risk for a potentially fatal disease.
5. Diphtheria Claims Innocence--Blames Exotoxin
The diphtheria bacteria are not particularly invasive. They do not attack cells like staph or strep. But some strains of the bacteria release what is called an exotoxin. This is a protein that gets into cells, the lymphatic system and the blood stream. It generates a vicious inflammatory response and destroys cells.
