Diphtheria was once an epidemic that haunted the world

Diphtheria often begins with mild symptoms, easily confused with common respiratory diseases. However, if not treated promptly, the disease can progress rapidly and cause life-threatening complications...

The Daily Mail reported that the first cases of diphtheria were recorded in the 5th century BC and spread terror throughout ancient Egypt and Syria. Around the 17th - 18th centuries, diphtheria broke out into many epidemics, causing mass deaths in Europe and America. Since 1920, the creation of the diphtheria vaccine has brought new hope to humanity, helping to sharply reduce the number of cases in many countries.

In the 90s of the 20th century, diphtheria exploded into a major epidemic in some countries such as Russia, Ukraine... because these countries interrupted diphtheria vaccination for children. In 2014 alone, the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded more than 7,300 cases of the disease globally, and the actual number may be even higher. In April this year, in a post on X (Twitter), WHO also warned that diphtheria is increasing globally.

INFECTIOUS EXPOSURE SITUATIONS

In Vietnam, in recent days, information about a death from diphtheria in Nghe An and a case in Bac Giang due to contact with the death made many people worried. Nghe An Provincial Center for Disease Control identified 119 people who had contact with the patient from onset to death. Similarly, Bac Giang also identified 15 people in contact with the case.

On July 9, Nghe An Department of Health announced that it had just sent official dispatch No. 2185 on strengthening diphtheria prevention and control to affiliated units. The Director of Nghe An Department of Health requested directors of health units in the area to urgently strengthen strict monitoring of the diphtheria epidemic situation; early detection, guidance on timely isolation, preventing the disease from spreading and prolonging disease cases, zoning and thoroughly handling outbreaks.

Along with that, promote preventive vaccination on schedule, with enough doses, safety and quality, especially reviewing subjects who have not been vaccinated or have not been fully vaccinated with vaccines containing diphtheria components to organize Dredging. Ensuring that all children, including temporary children in the area, are fully vaccinated with basic and booster shots, achieving a vaccination rate of over 95% in all communes, wards and towns.

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dac Phu, former Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine, Ministry of Health, said that diphtheria is a dangerous infectious disease even though it belongs to group B. The disease is transmitted through the respiratory tract in the form of droplets, which can Directly transmitted by contact with sick people when speaking, coughing, sneezing... or indirectly transmitted through contact with secretions containing bacteria from the nasopharyngeal mucosa of patients or healthy carriers.

Carriers are people who carry diphtheria bacteria but do not have symptoms of the disease, they are still capable of transmitting the disease to others. "Thus, the source of infection can be a sick person or a healthy person carrying the infection, so sometimes we do not know where the infection came from. Another dangerous point of the disease is the high death rate if not treated promptly. These Severe cases can lead to poisoning, severe infection, especially myocarditis, with a high risk of death," Associate Professor Phu said.

Notably, according to the Department of Preventive Medicine, the disease can also be transmitted by contact with objects contaminated with excretions of people infected with diphtheria bacteria. Therefore, all patients with pseudomembranous pharyngitis suspected of diphtheria must be hospitalized for strict respiratory isolation until two negative bacterial test results are obtained for the causative bacteria. Each specimen was collected 24 hours apart and no more than 24 hours after antibiotic treatment. If testing is not possible, the patient must be isolated after 14 days of antibiotic treatment.

SYMPTOMS AND RISK OF OUTBREAKING INTO AN EPIDEMIC

Specialist Doctor 2, Nguyen Minh Tien, Deputy Director of the City Children's Hospital (HCMC), said diphtheria is an acute bacterial infection with pseudomembranes in the tonsil glands, pharynx, larynx, and larynx. nose. The most common form of diphtheria is in the respiratory tract (nose, throat, larynx, trachea), of which 70% is pharyngeal diphtheria.

"The reservoir of diphtheria bacteria exists in both sick people and healthy carriers of the bacteria. When a person is infected, poisoning by diphtheria bacteria can lead to death very quickly in about 7 days if not detected." and treatment," Dr. Tien shared. According to Dr. Tien, the incubation period for diphtheria is usually about 2-3 days, then symptoms such as sore throat, fever, cough, hoarseness, loss of appetite, and ivory-white rapidly spreading pseudomembranes appear. .

"The symptoms of diphtheria are easily confused with the flu. However, people with flu can have a fresh face after the fever subsides, while people with diphtheria have just been infected and poisoned, so their faces are very lethargic and tired. Therefore, when you feel a lot of sore throat, lethargy, or white pseudomembranes, you should quickly go to a medical facility for examination," Dr. Tien recommended.

Regarding the risk of an epidemic outbreak, doctor Phan Van Manh, Department of Emergency Medicine, Central Tropical Diseases Hospital informed: "In Vietnam, thanks to the vaccination strategy of Diphtheria - Pertussis - Tetanus (DPT) ) in the Expanded Immunization Program since 1981, the incidence of diphtheria has decreased sharply in the 2010s. However, since 2013, outbreaks have occurred sporadically, mainly in the Central and Central Highlands provinces and recently in the Northern provinces such as Ha Giang, Dien Bien, and Thai Nguyen.

Most recently around September 2023, after nearly 20 years of no cases, Ha Giang province recorded more than 30 cases of diphtheria, including deaths. In addition, Thai Nguyen also recorded 2 cases of diphtheria. Previously, Dien Bien province recently recorded 3 cases of diphtheria, with 1 death...

When the diphtheria epidemic appeared, Mr. Tran Duc Quy, Vice Chairman of Ha Giang Provincial People's Committee, said that most cases were due to insufficient vaccination. On the other hand, in the Northern mountainous provinces, medical conditions are more or less limited, people's awareness is not high, and vaccination is often overlooked.

* SOURCE: https://vneconomy.vn/bach-hau-tung-la-dich-benh-am-anh-cua-the-gioi.htm