How are diphtheria cases treated?
Patients with diphtheria require urgent admission to a hospital where they will be nursed in isolation. If diphtheria is confirmed then they will remain isolated until their treatment has been completed and two negative cultures 24 hours apart have been obtained from nose and throat swabs. Treatment consists of an injection of antitoxin to counteract the effects of the toxin produced by Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans and antibiotics by injection and then by mouth for a total of as many as fourteen days, to kill the bacteria. The effect of diphtheria toxin is irreversible, so early diagnosis and treatment with antitoxin is vital. The antitoxin and the antibiotics are therefore usually commenced before there is bacteriological confirmation of the infection. If necessary, action is taken to assist the patient’s breathing and bed-rest, together with general nursing and medical care, are given as required. Patients should be immunised as soon as they recover usuall
