Dr. Tran Duy Hung, Head of the Department of General Infectious Diseases at the Central Tropical Diseases Hospital, stated that climate conditions have little effect on diphtheria. The risk of contracting diphtheria bacteria is equal for both males and females. The disease is commonly seen in children, especially those aged 1 to 7 years. However, adults can also contract the disease.
For diphtheria, early detection and treatment play a crucial role in the effectiveness of care. The challenge lies in the fact that the initial warning signs of diphtheria are quite similar to several common illnesses such as colds, flu, and especially tonsillitis and pharyngitis. Nevertheless, according to Dr. Tran Duy Hung, if we pay close attention, we can still recognize a few characteristic symptoms of this infectious disease: “The difference between diphtheria and tonsillitis or pharyngitis is that it causes a toxic condition, leading to a unique set of symptoms”.
Diphtheria patients will have a grayish membrane in the throat area, very tough and difficult to remove from the mucous membrane.
Specifically, the condition of toxicity caused by diphtheria will lead to pale skin and fatigue. If the patient is a child, there may be signs of loss of appetite, crying, and lethargy. Notably, diphtheria patients will have a grayish membrane in the throat area, which is very tough and difficult to remove from the mucous membrane and if one attempts to remove it, it may cause bleeding.
In contrast, individuals with tonsillitis or pharyngitis may also have a membrane, but it is very easy to remove. These are the most typical symptoms to differentiate diphtheria from other common diseases.
Additionally, diphtheria patients may experience a fever, but it rarely becomes very high; patients may have a hoarse cough, accompanied by other respiratory issues such as difficulty breathing and hoarseness.
“When experiencing the symptoms mentioned above, parents should take their children to medical facilities immediately for examination, which allows for treatment when the disease is still in its early stages, minimizing the risk of serious complications” – the general infectious disease expert advised.
