Diphtheria Vaccine

1. Diphtheria Vaccine What effect does it have good or bad?

2. Diphtheria causes a thick covering in the back of the throat. Can cause breathing problems, paralysis, heart failure and even death. There are several combinations of this vaccine such as: DTaP, Tdap, DT, and Td. Diphtheria vaccine is used to protect against the diseases of tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis.

3. Who should not be Vaccinated? DTaP- some children who are moderately or severely ill. Any child wo has a life threatening allergic reaction after a dose of DTaP should not get another one. Any child who suffered a brain or nervous system disease. Tdap- Anyone who has had a coma, or long or multiple seizures. Anyone whose had a severe allergic reaction to any component of a vaccine. The DTaP and DT are generally given to children younger then 7 years of age. And the Tdap and Td are given to older children and adults.

4. What do the letters mean? The uppercase letters denote full strength doses of diphtheria(D) and tetanus(T) toxids and pertussis(P). The lowercase “d” and “p” denote reduced doses. The “a” in DTaP and Tdap stands for a cellular which means that the pertussis component contains only a part of pertussis organism.

5. Side Effects from Diphtheria Vaccine • Some risks from having the Tdap or Td vaccine can be brief fainting spells and jerking movements. • Some mild side effects of Tdap are: • Pain • Redness or swelling at the injection site • Mild fever of at least 100.4 degrees • Headache • Tiredness • Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach ache • Chills, body aches, sore joints, rash or swollen glands • Moderate side effects: • Pain at injection site • Fever over 102 degrees • Headache • Nausea and vomiting

6. Side effects continued….. • Mild side effects of Td vaccine: • Pain • Redness or swelling • Mild fever • Headache or tiredness • Moderate side effects: • Fever over 102 degrees • With Tdap or Td you may experience extensive swelling of the arm where shot was given. • Some severe problems that can be caused from receiving Tdap or Td can be: • Swelling, severe pain, bleeding and redness in the arm. • Diphtheria Vaccine covers: Tetanus, Pertussis, Toxids and Diphtheria

7. What is Diphtheria? Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection usually affecting the mucous membrane of the nose and throat. Diphtheria typically causes a sore throat, fever, swollen glands and weakness. The hallmark sign of this disease is a sheet of thick gray material covering back of throat. Which can block the wind pipe so that you struggle to breath. There are medicatonsto treat diphtheria however in advanced stages of diphtheria can cause damage to your heart, kidneys, and nervous system. As many as 10% of people who get diphtheria die from it.

8. Diphtheria

9. Causes of Diphtheria Diphtheria is caused by Bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheria it can spread by 3 different routes: Airborne droplets: When an infected person sneezes or coughs release a mist of contaminated droplets. Contaminated personal Items: can occasionally contract by handling an infected person’s used tissues, drinking from the infected unwashed glasses. Contaminated household items: In rare cases diphtheria infected people can spread by such things as towels or toys. You can also get diphtheria from touching an open wound.

10. Risk factors and Complications to be expected • Children and adults not up to date with immunizations • People living in crowded unsanitary conditions • People with compromised immune systems • Anyone who travels to areas where diphtheria is an endemic. • Left untreated diphtheria can lead to: Breathing problems, heart damage and nerve damage.

11. What is Tetanus? Tetanus is a serious bacterial disease that affects the nervous system which leads to painful muscle contractions, particularly in the jaw and neck. Tetanus can interfere with the ability to breathe and can ultimately threaten your life. Commonly known as “Lockjaw” There is no cure for tetanus, treatments focus on the complications until the issue with the toxin is resolved. Fatality is highest in individuals who have not been immunized or in older adults with inadequate immunizations.

13. Symptoms of Tetanus • Symptoms can appear in a matter of a few days to several weeks. You may experience : • Spasms and stiffness in your jaw muscles • Stiffness in neck muscles • Difficulty swallowing • Stiffness of abdominal muscles • Painful body spasms lasting several minutes • Other symptoms may be: • Fever • Sweating • Elevated blood pressure • Rapid heart rate

15. Causes and complications Tetanus is caused by a bacteria called Colstridiumtetani which is commonly found in soil, dust and animal feces. Complications that may occur from tetanus are: Broken bones, disability and even death.

16. Risk factors • Some things that can contribute risks to Tetanus are: • Lack of immunization • A penetrating injury • Injured tissue • A foreign body such as a nail or splinter • Swelling around the injury • The presence of other infective bacteria • There have also been cases of Tetanus caused from: • Gunshot wounds • Compound Fractures • Crash injuries • Burns • Surgical wounds • Injection drug use • Ear infections • Animal bites • Infected foot ulcers • Infected umbilical stumps in newborns born of inadequately immunized mothers.

17. What is Pertussis? Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes uncontrollable , violent coughing. Some things that cause pertussis are upper respiratory infections which are caused by the Bordetella pertussis or Bordetellaparapertussis bacteria. It is a serious disease which can cause permanent disability and even death in infants. Pertussis is easily spread by an infected person sneezing or coughing infection usually only last 6 weeks. Whooping cough can affect people of any age. And before vaccines it was most common in infants and young children.

19. Symptoms of Pertussis • Some symptoms of Pertussis can be: • Runny nose • Slight fever (102 degrees or lower) • Diarrhea • In children there is usually a cough followed by a “whoop” noise • Coughing spells may lead to vomiting or a short loss of consciousness.