help please!!!?

Question

what do people know bout diptheria and vaccinations!?

Answer 1

Diphtheria (dif-THEER-e-uh) is a serious bacterial infection, usually affecting the mucous membranes of your nose and throat. The disease typically causes a bad sore throat, fever, swollen glands and weakness. But the hallmark sign is a thick, gray covering in the back of your throat that can make breathing difficult. Diphtheria can also infect your skin.

Years ago, diphtheria was a leading cause of death among children. Today, diphtheria is rare in the United States and other developed countries thanks to widespread vaccination against the disease.

Medications are available to treat diphtheria. However, in advanced stages, diphtheria can cause damage to your heart, kidneys and nervous system. Nearly one out of every 10 people who get diphtheria die of it.

Prevention
Before antibiotics were available, diphtheria was a common illness in young children. Today, the disease is not only treatable but also preventable with a vaccine.

The diphtheria vaccine is usually combined with vaccines for tetanus and whooping cough (pertussis). Tetanus is a bacterial infection that leads to stiffness of the jaw and other muscles. Whooping cough is a bacterial infection of the respiratory tract. The three-in-one vaccine is known as the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, or DTP, vaccine. The latest version of this immunization is known as the DTaP vaccine.

The diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine is one of the childhood immunizations that doctors in the United States recommend begin during infancy. The vaccine consists of a series of five shots, typically administered in the arm or thigh, and is given to children at ages:

2 months
4 months
6 months
15 to 18 months
4 to 6 years
The diphtheria vaccine is very effective at preventing diphtheria. But there may be some side effects. Some children may experience a mild fever, fussiness, drowsiness or tenderness at the site of the injection after a diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis shot. Ask your doctor what you can do for your child to minimize or relieve these effects.

Rarely, the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine causes serious complications in a child, such as an allergic reaction (hives or a rash develops within minutes of the injection), seizures or shock — complications which are treatable.

Some children — such as those with progressive brain disorders — may not be candidates for the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine. But, the number of children to whom these restrictions apply is small.

You can't get diphtheria from the vaccine.

Booster shots
After the initial series of immunizations in childhood, booster shots of the diphtheria vaccine are needed to help you maintain immunity. That's because immunity to diphtheria fades with time.

The first booster shot is needed around age 12, and then every 10 years after that — especially if you travel to an area where diphtheria is common. Ask your doctor whether you're up-to-date on your immunizations. Be sure your child is as up-to-date as possible on childhood vaccinations before starting child care or school.

A booster shot of the diphtheria vaccine is given in combination with a booster shot of the tetanus vaccine. The tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccine is given by injection, usually into the arm or thigh.

Doctors recommend that anyone older than age of 7 who has never been vaccinated against diphtheria receive three doses of the Td vaccine.

Answer 2

Diptheria, is know as "Whooping Cough" for the sound of the coughing.

Usually diptheria vaccine comes combined with at least 2 others.
Some people look at the statistics that a certain (extremely low) amount of babies die after the shots, or some are worried about mercury in the vaccine.

Think what you want, but Vaccines have given us a long life span, you are much better off to have All vaccines than not.
Before vaccinations, life span was expected to be 40

With all the good things, vaccines do, and the Extremely vast majority they help, don't dwell on the possible negatives.

Answer 3

Diptheria is a really interesting infectious disease. The bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae grows on the surface of your throat, and forms a biofilm. The infection then goes one of two ways: 1) The bacteria continue growing, eventually you die from suffercation, or 2) the bacteria become infected with a non-lytic bacteriophage, whose genome contains a toxin gene. The gene becomes expressed, and the host gets killer by the actions of the toxin. Neat eh?

But there are treaments like everyone else said. I just thought you would find this interesting.

Answer 4

What is diphtheria?

Diphtheria is an acute respiratory infection caused by the diphtheria bacterium, Corynebacterium diphtheriae and its toxin. This is a serious infection with a high mortality rate, even in Western Europe.

The bacteria multiply on the lining (mucous membrane) of the throat, nose or larynx, where they divide and excrete a poisonous substance or toxin.

The bacteria and the toxin destroy the mucous membrane, so that a thick coating is formed and the patient develops a serious inflammation of the throat.

The membranous coating in the throat can become detached and obstruct the airways, making breathing difficult and sometimes causing asphyxiation. The bacterial toxin penetrates the body and can lead to damage of the cardiac muscle and the nervous system.

Why do you get diphtheria?

The disease is mainly transmitted by droplets from the nose or throat being passed from person to person, eg by coughing or sneezing.

Protection from the disease comes from having antibodies in the blood - which is the purpose of vaccination. The bacteria can easily be passed on by a person who shows no sign of illness, a so-called 'healthy disease carrier'.

Diphtheria can also be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact.

Where does diphtheria occur?

The bacteria may be found anywhere, but especially in poor or densely populated areas, where some people have not been vaccinated against diphtheria, encouraging the disease to spread. In the early and mid 1990s more than 50,000 people in Russia and the Baltic countries fell ill with diphtheria. More recently there have also been minor epidemics in South East Asia.

In Western countries the disease is rare and there have been no epidemics since the 1940s, when the diphtheria vaccine was introduced. However, individual cases will still be seen, because a minority of the population is not totally protected by vaccination, and diphtheria can be imported from abroad.

What are the symptoms of the disease?

The incubation period, which is the time that elapses between a person being infected and the disease developing, is usually two to five days.

Local symptoms consist of a sore throat, coughing and breathing difficulties. When the disease infects the skin it causes crusty scabs, similar to impetigo.

General symptoms manifest themselves as a slight rise in temperature, limpness and fatigue. In weeks two to six of the illness, damage to the heart and nervous system may be observed in the form of irregularities of the heart beat and paralysis. In the worst cases, this may cause serious disturbances in cardiac rhythm, and possibly cardiac arrest.

Mortality in poorer countries is high, up to 30 to 40 per cent, while in Western countries it is between 5 and 10 per cent, partly because the disease may be confused in the early stages with other infections, which results in treatment being started too late.

What measures can you take to avoid the disease?

The most important method of avoiding the disease is vaccination. All children in the UK are routinely offered five vaccinations against diphtheria in the child vaccination programme.

Children are given the diphtheria vaccine together with vaccines against tetanus, whooping cough, polio and Hib as one combination vaccine (Pediacel), at the ages of two, three and four months. A child is given a diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio booster vaccine (Repevax) when he or she is five years old.

The child is given a further booster vaccine before leaving school (Revaxis) and is then considered to be protected for a further 10 years.

If you plan to travel abroad, many places recommend reinforcing protection with a new diphtheria vaccination every 10 years.

How is the diagnosis made?

To make a diagnosis a swab is taken from the throat and the bacteria are cultured in a laboratory.

Future prospects

Provided that treatment is introduced early enough, the danger of asphyxiation can be avoided and there is every possibility that the bacteria can be eliminated and the toxin prevented from affecting the heart and nervous system.

Long-term effects may be observed in the form of paralysis, especially in the face, as well as disturbed cardiac rhythm, which may require ongoing medication.

The disease itself will probably be difficult to eradicate from the planet partly because, like whooping cough, the bacteria can be dispersed among vaccinated and healthy people without anyone realising that they have the bacteria in their throats.

How can the disease be treated?

Treatment is a specialist task and is carried out in hospital. There is an antitoxin, which combats the bacterial toxin, but it is used only in suspected cases of diphtheria when there is no time to wait for the results of swabs.

In addition, antibiotics are administered to eliminate the bacteria itself. The sick person should be kept in isolation. Artificial ventilation with respirator treatment may often be necessary.

In addition, people who have been in contact with the patient should be examined. They should be offered vaccination and preventive antibiotic treatment. This should be carried out in co-operation with the community medicine specialist and the hospital.

go on google listed in the source below and type in
diphtheria and vaccinations

Answer 5

It is highly contagious and is a bacteria that affects the nose and throat, nerves and the heart (as it progresses).
The vaccinations are given at an early stage in life (babies 2,4,6 and 18 months old, then at 5 & 15 yrs old). North America has hardly any cases, thanks to the immunization, the other countries where it's not available is coming back with a vengence.
It is a horrible disease and with the shots today why have children suffer.

Answer 6

diptheria is a highly infectious diseas but modern day meds mean that u got to the docs he/she uses a needled thats about an 2 inces long the put the vacine (which is a tiny does of the disease) under the skin which alows the body to immunise its self against it

Answer 7

When I was a kid, many moons ago, children were immunised against diphtheria at school, without the need for their parents consent. I don't remember anyone dying or having serious side effects from it.
And science has advanced amazingly so it must be better now than then.
If we had not had all these injections as kids, then the country would be awash with killer diseases. Most were largely eliminated if not killed off, i.e. smallpox, etc.

Answer 8

hi hunni, try going onto wikipedia and searching them, im doing all about this at the mo, but i havent got the energy to type out everythin
SORRY!!!:o
hope this helps
xx

Answer 9

they are way important!

Answer 10

GET THE INNOCULATION OR DIE