What we know about diphtheria as peak cases of the disease from the Victorian era

Cases of highly contagious diphtheria are on the rise in Britain, where three people died from the disease last year, according to the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA).

The British Health Service Agency reported that the increase in the number of cases is linked to an increase in prevalence among asylum seekers and people who catch the virus from their pets. He said in his latest reportWith one of those who died from the disease being held at the controversial Manston treatment facility in Kent.

The Public Health Authority warned that the number of cases of toxic diphtheria reached 87 last year, an increase of 10 from 2021 levels, stressing that the chances of contracting it are still small thanks to the routine vaccination against the disease in Britain since the forties.

“Our latest report shows that the number of diphtheria cases in the general UK population remains very low, with the vast majority of confirmed cases in this report linked to a previously confirmed outbreak among migrants,” said Gayatri Amirthalingam, UKHSA Deputy Director. public health programmes.

“Thanks to the success of the UK’s diphtheria vaccination programme, the risk of contracting diphtheria for the general public is very low. However, in recent years we have seen a decline in vaccine acceptance among young people due to the challenges posed by the pandemic and this puts children and young people who are not fully vaccinated at risk. .

“I urge parents of children and young adults who have missed these important immunizations to contact the school nurse, school immunization team, or doctor’s office to schedule an appointment for an update, as these immunizations provide the best protection as young people begin their journey into future adulthood.”

According to the NHS, Diphtheria affects the nose, throat, and sometimes the skin and can be fatal in some cases, especially in children, hence the early vaccinations.

British nationals are most likely to encounter the disease when traveling abroad, with the World Health Organization reporting peaks in Africa, South America, India and Indonesia since 2018.

It is a bacterial infection that is usually transmitted through the coughing and sneezing of those who have been infected with it, or by touching the glasses, cutlery, clothing or bedding of the infected.

The health service states that symptoms usually begin to appear between two to five days after infection and can include:

In contact with cutaneous diphtheria and infection of the skin – more common in countries with poor hygiene – the patient may experience:

The NHS urges you to seek urgent medical attention if you have reason to suspect you have diphtheria, especially if you are in a country where it is known to be common, requiring hospital treatment to ensure serious breathing or heart problems. Develop.

It lists key treatments such as antibiotics, which are used to kill the bacteria themselves, medications to fight the toxins they produce, and thorough cleaning of infected wounds.

Treatment usually takes two to three weeks, but patients are warned that skin ulcers can take two to three months to heal and can leave scars in their wake.

Anyone who has been in close contact with a sick person may also need a course of antibiotics or receive a delayed vaccine dose.