Diphtheria

What Is Diphtheria? What Causes Diphtheria?

Diphtheria is a bacterial infection in the upper respiratory tract. Typically it is characterized by sore throat, swollen neck glands, high temperature and breathing difficulties. Through means of successful immunization diphtheria is now very rare in the United States and Europe. However it's still common in countries where immunization programs are not an integral part of standard public health care. It is a potentially fatal disease with an estimated 5-10% fatality rate. In children under 5 and adults over 40 the fatality rate may sometimes reach 20%.
In the 4th century B.C. Hippocrates described the disease. There are records of descriptions of diphtheria type diseases in ancient Egypt and Syria. A major epidemic swept through much of Europe during the 17th century; during this period it was referred to as the strangling angel of children because it caused the death of many children by suffocation.

Princess Alice, the second daughter of Queen Victoria (Great Britain), died of diphtheria after nursing her children who were infected. Princess Alice's daughter, Princess May, also died of the same disease.

Written by Joseph Nordqvist
Edited by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
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