Kids ask: What is diphtheria?
"What is diphtheria and how do you get it?," asked a student in Mrs. Kuchler's seventh-grade Language Arts class at West Oak Middle School in Mundelein.
Diphtheria is a disease caused by bacteria. It's been around at least since the time of the Pharaohs, maybe even longer. We have no need to worry about contracting the bacteria today; fewer than 4 cases are reported each year in the United States.
Thousands of people were killed in diphtheria epidemics in the 1700s and the 1920s. In the 1892, German physician Emil von Behring developed an antitoxin that neutralized the toxins in the bacteria. For his success in treating the illness, von Behring was awarded the very first Nobel Prize for medicine. It wasn't until 1913 that the first vaccine was developed. Widespread use of the vaccine drastically reduced the number of deaths. Very few people die from diphtheria today in the United States, but the bacteria does exist in other countries.
Patients with diphtheria complain of sore throats, a swollen neck, a fever and runny nose. The bacteria can create a mucus web that blocks the nose or throat, making it very difficult to breathe. It can form a toxin that travels through the blood to other parts of the body. Diphtheria might also cause huge sores to erupt on the skin. Diphtheria is very contagious with symptoms appearing two to five days after exposure.
In 1925, dog teams rescued the town of Nome, Alaska, when an outbreak of diphtheria threatened its 1,400 residents. At that time, the only way to reach the icebound town in winter was along the Iditarod mail and supply trail using sled dog teams. Diphtheria antitoxin was relayed nearly 700 miles to the ailing community in only 5 days, 7 hours, despite horrific storms, extreme cold temperatures and an accident that toppled the antitoxin and nearly ruined the mission. The lead dog, Balto, along with his canine and human rescuers are remembered for their courage and bravery for rushing the antitoxin to Nome with a bronze statue in New York City's Central Park.