Disease Diphtheria. The condition is an infection caused by the attack and breeding microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites that basically do not come from within the body. Infection can occur in just one area of the body or it can spread through the blood to overarching nature.
Diphtheria invades mucous membranes in the nose and throat and can sometimes affect the skin. The disease is highly contagious and including serious infection that can be life-threatening if not immediately addressed.
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| Disease Diphtheria |
Diphtheria is caused by two types of bacteria, i.e., Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans. Incubation period (when bacteria get into the body until the symptoms appear), the disease is generally two to five days. Symptoms that indicate this disease include:
- The formation of the gray membrane covering the throat and tonsils.
- Fever and chills.
- Sore throat and hoarseness.
- It's hard to breathe or exhale quickly.
- Swelling of the lymph glands in the neck.
- Limp and exhausted.
- Runny nose. Liquid initially, but gradually becomes thick and sometimes bleed.
Diphtheria also can sometimes attack the skin and cause ulcers. Boils sores will heal within a few months, but usually will leave scars on the skin.
Check with your doctor right away if you or your child shows symptoms of the above.This disease should be treated as soon as possible to prevent complications.
Transmission Of Diphtheria
The spread of diphtheria bacteria can occur easily and that is through the air when a sufferer's sneeze or cough. In addition, there are some other transmission method that needs to look out for. Among others, through:
- Goods that are already contaminated by bacteria, such as toys or towels.
- Touch directly on the boil due to diphtheria in the skin of sufferers. Transmission generally occurs in people with living in a dense population and environmental hygiene is not maintained.
- Direct contact with the animals that are already infected, for example cattle.
- Drinking milk that has not been through the process of pasteurization or sterilization.
- Foods made from milk that has not been through the process of pasteurization or sterilization.
Diphtheria bacteria will produce toxins that kill cells in the throat. The dead cells that forms the membrane-grey on throat. In addition, the toxin can also be spread through blood and attack the heart and nervous system.
People who have received the vaccination can still be infected with this disease.However they do not usually show symptoms of being infected. But you have to remain vigilant because they also can transmit diphtheria.
Diagnosis and treatment of Diphtheria
Early diagnosis of diphtheria usually seen from the symptoms, such as sore throat accompanied by formation of a gray membrane. The doctor may also take samples of mucus in the throat, nose, or sore to be examined in the laboratory.
If someone is suspected of contracting diphtheria, doctors will soon start handling,even before there was a laboratory result. The doctor will recommend it to undergo treatment in isolation at the hospital. Then step treatment will be conducted with two types of drugs, namely antibiotics and antitoxin.
Antibiotics will help the body to kill bacteria and heal the infection. A dose of antibiotics depends on the severity of symptoms and old patient suffers from diphtheria.
Most sufferers won't transmit diphtheria bacteria again after taking antibiotics for two days. But it's very important for them to keep completed the treatment process of antibiotic as recommended by doctors, i.e. for two weeks. The sufferer will then undergo examination laboratory. If diphtheria bacteria are still found in the patient's body, the doctor will continue to use antibiotics for 10 days.
While the antitoxin serves to neutralize the toxin or diphtheria toxin spreads in the body. Before giving the antitoxin, the doctor usually will check if the patient has an allergy to the medication or not. In case of allergic reactions, your doctor will give you a low dose with antitoxin and slowly raise it while looking at the progression of the condition of the patient.
For sufferers who experience difficulty breathing because of the resistance of the membrane in grey throat, doctors will recommend that the process of appointment of the membrane. While sufferers of diphtheria with symptoms of boils on the skin it is advisable to clean the wound with SOAP and water thoroughly.
In addition to the sufferers, people who are nearby are also advised to saw a doctor because this disease is very easily transmitted. For example, families living the same house or the medical officer diphtheria patients.
The doctor will suggest them to undergo tests and give antibiotics. Diphtheria vaccine is sometimes also given back if needed. This is done in order to improve the protection against this disease.
Complication Of Diphtheria
The treatment of diphtheria should be done to prevent the spread at once serious complications, especially in people with children. It is estimated almost one in five toddlers and diphtheria sufferers aged over 40 years who died due to complications.
If not treated quickly and precisely, the toxin of diphtheria bacteria may trigger some potentially life-threatening complications. Some of which include:
- Respiratory problems. The cells that die due to the toxin produced by diphtheria bacteria will form a gray membrane that can obstruct breathing. Membrane particles can also fall into the lungs. This is potentially triggering inflammation in the lungs so that the function will decrease drastically and ruined his breath.
- Damage to the heart. In addition to the lungs, diphtheria toxin can potentially get into the heart and cause inflammation of the heart muscle or miokarditis. These complications can cause problems, such as irregular heartbeat, heart failure and sudden death.
- Nerve damage. Toxins can cause sufferers to experience problems difficult swallowing, problems of the urinary tract, or the complete paralysis on the diaphragm, as well ass welling of the nerves of the hands and feet. Problems of the urinary tract can be early indications of nerve paralysis that will affect diagfragma. This will make the complete patient can't breathe so need the tools or breathing respirator. The complete diagfragma can occur suddenly in the early symptoms appear or weeks after infection is cured. Because of this, sufferers of diphtheria of children who experience any complications are generally recommended to remain in the hospital up to 1.5 months.
- Diphtheria hipertoksik. This complication is a very severe form of diphtheria. In addition to the same symptoms with diphtheria diphtheria is common, hipertoksik will trigger severe bleeding and kidney failure. Most of these complications are caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae.
Prevention of Diphtheria with Vaccinations
The most effective preventive measures for the disease is with a vaccine. Prevention of diphtheria vaccine incorporated in the DPT Vaccine. These include diphtheria, tetanus,and pertussis or whooping cough.
DPT vaccine is one of the five mandatory immunization for children in Indonesia.Administering vaccines was performed five times at the time of children aged two months, four months, six months, 1.5-2 years, and five years.
The General protection can protect children against diphtheria all his life. But this vaccination can be given back at the moment the child enters adolescence or precisely at the age of 11-18 years old in order to maximize their effectiveness.
Sufferers of diphtheria that had healed also recommended to receive the vaccine because it retains the risk of contracting the disease to return.
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