Diphtheria is a serious disease that can be deadly. It can cause a thick grey coating in the back of the nose or throat making it hard to breathe or swallow.
The disease can lead to life-threatening heart failure and paralysis. 5 to 10 per cent of all persons with diphtheria die.
While diphtheria is uncommon in Australia due to good hygiene standards and high vaccination rates, serious cases of the disease do occur.
Keeping your immunisations up to date and adopting good personal hygiene can help prevent diphtheria.
Diphtheria is caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae which can live in the mouth, throat, and nose of an infected person. This can be passed on to others by coughing or sneezing. It is possible, although less common, for transmission to occur from skin sores or from contact with discharge from sores of infected persons.
People may experience mild fever, chills and sore throat which can progress to difficulty swallowing. The coating on the throat can get so thick that it blocks the airway, so the person can’t breathe.
The most common complications are inflammation of the heart (leading to abnormal heart rhythms) and nerves (which may cause temporary paralysis of some muscles).
Diphtheria containing vaccines are recommended for children, and a booster is recommended for adolescents and adults. In Australia, the diphtheria vaccine is commonly offered as a combination vaccine along with pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus. The combination vaccine is referred to as the DTPa (for children under 10 years) or dTpa (for individuals over 10 years) vaccine.
Refer to the WA Immunisation Schedule for detailed information on when to get your diphtheria immunisation or speak to a health professional.
In WA, you can get diphtheria immunisations from your:
Find more information about diphtheria, including where to get vaccinated in WA
