Diphtheria is an infection caused by strains of bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae that make toxin. Diphtheria spreads from person to person, usually through respiratory droplets, like from coughing or sneezing. It can also spread by touching open sores or ulcers of someone with a diphtheria skin infection. Diphtheria Vaccination. Diphtheria Vaccines Diphtheria vaccines are very good at preventing this serious infection.
Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Whooping Cough Vaccination: What Everyone Should Know This webpage offers comprehensive information about diphtheria vaccines, including types and how well they work. For up-to-date information about the area you're visiting, check the TravelHealthPro country guides. For foreign travel, you may be able to get a combined vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and polio free on the NHS. Ask at your GP surgery. Diphtheria is highly contagious. It's spread by coughs and sneezes, or through close contact with someone who's infected.
However, they are still contagious for about six weeks and may infect a lot of other people. An apparently healthy person who spreads an infectious disease is called a 'carrier'. If diphtheria is suspected, treatment begins before the test results are back from the laboratory. Treatment may include:. People who are caring for someone with diphtheria should practise strict hygiene — for example, wash hands frequently, particularly before handling, preparing or eating food — and get a booster vaccination.
All contacts should also receive a course of antibiotics. In Victoria, the diphtheria vaccine is available in a combined vaccine that also contains protection against other serious and potentially fatal diseases. The diphtheria vaccine contains a weakened form of the bacterial toxin, called a toxoid. It works by prompting the body to produce an 'antitoxin' — a specific antibody that neutralises diphtheria toxin.
A number of doses are needed to offer good protection against diphtheria. Different vaccines are available depending on the person's age group.
A free combined vaccine that offers protection against diphtheria is available for all Victorian children when they are:.
Catch-up immunisations are also available free-of-charge for all children and young people under 20 years of age. The immunisations you may need are decided by your health, age, lifestyle and occupation. Together, these factors are referred to as HALO.
View the HALO infographic to find out more. Immunity against diphtheria reduces with time and further booster shots may be needed. A course of diphtheria-containing vaccine is recommended for anyone who has never been vaccinated. Three doses are given at monthly intervals and two further booster doses are given 10 years apart. A diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough booster is recommended for adults from 50 years of age and requires a GP prescription to purchase the dose.
Immunisations containing protection against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough and other infectious diseases are effective and safe although all medications can have unwanted side effects.
Side effects from these combined vaccines are uncommon and usually mild, lasting one or two days, but may include:. If a combined immunisation also contains the vaccine against polio the six-in-one and the four-in-one vaccine , muscle aches may also be experienced. Common adverse events following immunisation are usually mild and temporary occurring in the first one to two days after vaccination. Specific treatment is not usually required.
There are a number of treatment options that can reduce the side effects of the vaccine including:. A person with diphtheria must be isolated. Family members and other close contacts who haven't been immunized, or who are very young or elderly, must be protected from contact with the patient.
When someone is diagnosed with diphtheria, the doctor will notify the local health department and treat everyone in the household who may have been exposed to the bacteria. Treatment includes throat cultures and booster doses of the diphtheria vaccine. They will also get antibiotics as a precaution. With prompt care in a hospital, most patients recover from diphtheria. After the antibiotics and anti-toxin take effect, they will need bed rest for a while 4 to 6 weeks, or until full recovery.
Bed rest is particularly important if someone develops myocarditis inflammation of the heart muscle , which can be a complication of diphtheria. After recovery, people who had diphtheria should still get all the diphtheria vaccine shots to protect them from another infection. Having had the disease doesn't guarantee lifetime immunity. Call your doctor right away if anyone in your family has symptoms of diphtheria, you see symptoms in someone else, if anyone in your family is exposed to diphtheria, or if you think that you or a family member is at risk.
Remember, though, that most throat infections are not diphtheria, especially in countries that immunize against it.
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