DIPHTHERIA – INTRODUCTION
Diphtheria, the severe disease of childhood, is now rare, mainly due to widespread immunisation.
But we should not be complacent and neglect to immunise our children as isolated outbreaks still occur, especially in unimmunised children, and the germ is still common, even if the infection is rare.
Some people, especially adults, while not actually developing the disease, may be carriers and cause its spread. They harbor the bacterium in their nose and may infect unimmunised people.
Many adults have a waning or poor immunity to diphtheria, but can be “boosted” by having an injection. Diphtheria vaccine is combined with tetanus vaccine and is available to adults.
When having a tetanus “shot” to bring this immunisation up to date, it would be valuable to have a “shot” of adult CDT, that is, combined diphtheria and tetanus vaccine.
Triple Antigen is the usual vaccine given to babies. This contains vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. The whooping cough vaccine is prone to cause reactions in older children, so is dropped from the vaccine for this age group and CDT, combined tetanus and diphtheria vaccine, used instead.
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