Diphtheria | Sitata

什麼是Diphtheria

Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease that is caused by infection with the bacteria Corynebacterium diphtheria. It is transmitted person to person through respiratory droplets (usually from coughing and sneezing) and through close physical contact.

Diphtheria usually affects the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract (nose, tonsils, pharynx, and larynx), the skin, and rarely, other mucous membranes in the body. Even when properly treated, between 5 to 10 percent of diphtheria patients die. When the disease goes untreated, this rate is even higher.

您如何獲得Diphtheria ？

Diphtheria is a contagious disease that spreads from person to person by breathing in nasal secretions in the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Direct contact with the skin sores of persons with cutaneous (skin) diphtheria or with articles or objects contaminated with discharges from the lungs or skin can lead to acquiring the infection. The organisms can survive in dust and clothing for up to 6 months.

易感性和抵抗力

Diphtheria vaccination produces prolonged, but not lifelong immunity. Immunity wanes with increasing age. Recovering from the disease may induce lifelong immunity, but this is not always the case.

有哪些症狀？

The general symptoms of respiratory diphtheria include sore throat, fever, malaise, difficulty breathing and/or swallowing, and a grey pseudomembrane forming over the tonsils and/or nasopharynx (which can extend into the larynx and trachea, causing obstruction of the airway and suffocation). Severe infection can cause swelling of the neck and enlarged neck lymph nodes, leading to a “bull-neck” appearance. Cutaneous (skin) diphtheria can cause a skin lesion covered by a grey-brown membrane.

Complications of diphtheria include: diphtheric myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), heart rhythm disturbances, infection of the heart valves, congestive heart failure, neurological problems such as paralysis of the soft palate, vision problems, and muscle weakness, and infections (lung, blood or bone infections).

預防措施

通過疫苗接種可以預防白喉感染。

治療

The standard treatment for diphtheria is the immediate administration of diphtheria antitoxin and antibiotics. Any delay in treatment is associated with increased risk for complications and death. After receiving antibiotic treatment, the patient usually becomes non-infectious within 24 hours. The diphtheria antitoxin is not recommended for diphtheria infections that do not show symptoms and is usually of no use in cutaneous (skin) diphtheria. Symptomatic treatment, such as intubation (inserting a breathing tube), may also be necessary.