What is Diphtheria?

Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection of the nose and throat that most people in India today have only heard of because of the vaccine that prevents it. It is caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, and its real danger is not the bacteria itself but the powerful toxin the bacteria releases. That toxin can damage the heart, the nerves and the kidneys, and it is what makes diphtheria life-threatening even with modern care.

The hallmark of the disease is a thick grey coating, called a pseudomembrane, that forms over the tonsils and the back of the throat. It can block breathing, and it bleeds if someone tries to scrape it off. The neck can swell dramatically, a sign doctors call "bull neck". Without treatment, diphtheria kills roughly one in ten people it infects, sometimes more in young children.

Diphtheria spreads through droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and through close contact in crowded settings. People carrying the bacteria without symptoms can also spread it. The disease was once one of the biggest killers of children worldwide, and it became rare only because of widespread vaccination. It has not disappeared. Outbreaks still occur wherever immunization coverage slips, and India has reported real outbreaks and deaths in the past decade, mostly in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children.

A few things every parent should know:

• Diphtheria is a medical emergency. A child with a grey membrane in the throat, a swollen neck, or noisy breathing needs a hospital immediately - call 102 or 112.
• The specific treatment is diphtheria antitoxin, and it works best when given early, often before lab results return.
• Antibiotics clear the bacteria but cannot undo toxin already bound to the heart and nerves.
• The DPT or pentavalent vaccine series, with its boosters, is what stands between a child and this disease.