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Since 2017, India has had the most reported cases of Diphtheria with an astonishing 5,293 cases.

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The vaccine for Diphtheria was introduced in India in 2005, and the incidence rates post vaccine show a sharp decline as, in the 1920s, the United States used to see as many as 200,000 cases a year. Thanks to diphtheria vaccines, that number has dropped by 99.9%

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Diphtheria is an infectious disease, which primarily infects the throat and upper airways, and produces a toxin affecting other organs.

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Diphtheria typically causes a sore throat, fever, nasal discharge, swollen glands and weakness. But the hallmark sign is a sheet of thick, gray material covering the back of your throat, which can block your airway, causing you to struggle for breath.

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Complications from diphtheria may include:

Blocking of the airway

Damage to the heart muscle (myocarditis)

Nerve damage (polyneuropathy)

Loss of the ability to move (paralysis)

Lung infection (respiratory failure or pneumonia)

Death

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Diphtheria is spread (transmitted) from person to person, usually through respiratory droplets, like from coughing or sneezing. Rarely, people can get sick from touching open sores (skin lesions) or clothes that touched open sores of someone sick with diphtheria.

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The incubation period of diphtheria is 2-5 days.

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Here is the thick gray material, blocking the airways, making it difficult to breathe.

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Here is the thick gray material, blocking the airways, making it difficult to breathe.

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Major swelling of the throat, and thick material in the back .

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Major swelling of the throat, and thick material in the back .

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The diphtheria vaccine is usually combined with vaccines for tetanus and whooping cough (pertussis). The three-in-one vaccine is known as the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine. The latest version of this vaccine is known as the DTaP vaccine for children and the Tdap vaccine for adolescents and adults.
The diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine is one of the childhood immunizations that doctors in the United States recommend during infancy. Vaccination consists of a series of five shots, typically administered in the arm or thigh, given to children at these ages:

2 months

4 months

6 months

15 to 18 months

4 to 6 years

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Graphic showing the bacteria causing Diphtheria.

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Graphic showing the bacteria causing Diphtheria.

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The pathogen responsible for diphtheria is the Corynebacterium diphtheriae bacterium.