“Today your child has about as much chance of contracting diphtheria as he does of being bitten by a cobra.”
—Robert S. Mendelsohn, M .D
Diphtheria is an acute illness caused by bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae.45 The incubation period ranges from one to ten days and involves potentially any mucous membrane.46 You can classify diphtheria depending on the site of illness.47
· Anterior Nasal Diphtheria: This type of diphtheria is indistinguishable from that of the common cold and is usually characterized by a nasal discharge containing mucus and pus which may become blood-tinged.48
· Pharyngeal and Tonsillar Diphtheria:This type of diphtheria effects the tonsils and throat (pharynx).49 A person will generally have a feeling of discomfort (malaise), sore throat, loss of appetite, and a low-grade fever.50 However, in a few days, a bluish-white membrane forms and covers the back of the throat (soft palate) as well as the tonsils.51
· Laryngeal Diphtheria: This type of diphtheria is the same as pharyngeal diphtheria only it extends further into the airway passage to the voicebox (larynx).52 The larynx can also be the only site involved and the symptoms typically include fever, hoarseness, and a barking cough.53
· Cutaneous (Skin) Diphtheria: This type of diphtheria is most commonly found in homeless persons and is characterized by a skin infection.54 The skin infection may appear as a “scaling rash”55 or by “ulcers with clearly demarcated edges and membranes.”56 It is common for these infections to occur in the tropics which results in “high levels of natural [emphasis added] immunity.”57
According to the CDC, “The overall case-fatality rate for diphtheria is 5% to 10%, with higher death rates (up to 20 percent) in persons under 5 and over 40 years of age.”58 Even if your child does contract diphtheria, they have over a 99 percent survival rate! The CDC goes on and further states “The case-fatality rate for diphtheria has changed very little during the last 50 years.”59 The fatality rate is without antibiotic therapy. Rarely does the illness persist longer than four weeks without proper therapy and typically subsides in less than two weeks.60
The number of cases of diphtheria in the 1920’s was approximately 150 cases per 100,000 population.61 This means that a child had a 0.15 percent chance of contracting diphtheria in the 1920’s.62 And out of that 0.15 percent, the death rate was twenty percent (worse-case scenario). So the real risk of dying from diphtheria in 1920 was 0.03 percent, meaning that a child had a 99.97 percent chance of not dying from diphtheria! Not to mention these numbers are based on are the CDC’s figures.
