Diphtheria

• Diphtheria  fact sheet with general information about diphtheria, including symptoms, complications, tests, vaccination and treatment.
• About Diphtheria
  • General information from the CDC about diphtheria, including transmission, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Also includes photos and kid-friendly fact sheet

 

Page Updated 12/3/2023

• All individual cases of diphtheria should be reported to the Georgia Department of Public Health. Find out more about Reporting Diphtheria
   
• Information collected on diphtheria cases is included in the CDC Diphtheria Case Report Form

 

 

Page Updated 12/3/2023

• Talk to your doctor and visit the Georgia Immunization Program website to learn more about vaccines for you and your family
• The Diphtheria Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) includes a description of the disease, who should get the vaccine and when, who should not be vaccinated, and potential side effects.
  • Visit the Georgia Immunization Program website to find a copy of the VIS in a language other than English.

 

Page Updated 12/3/2023

• Diphtheria Basics
  General information about diphtheria, including symptoms, complications, tests, vaccination and treatment.

• Clinical Information
  Information about diphtheria, including clinical features, medical management, antibiotics and preventive measures.

• Assessing a Patient with Suspected Diphtheria
  A checklist for assessing a patient with suspected diphtheria.
   
• Close Contacts of Diphtheria Cases
  Decision tree to identify close contacts of diphtheria cases and determine the need for laboratory testing, post-exposure prophylaxis and/or vaccination.

• Diagnosis of diphtheria is usually made on the basis of clinical presentation since it is imperative to begin presumptive therapy quickly. However, culture of the lesion is needed to confirm the diagnosis.  Please consult the GDPH regarding additional information about diphtheria testing.
   
• Diphtheira Laboratory Guidelines

• After the provisional clinical diagnosis is made and appropriate cultures are obtained, persons with suspected diphtheria should be given antitoxin and antibiotics in adequate dosage and placed in isolation.
   
• Respiratory support and airway maintenance should also be administered as needed. In the United States, diphtheria antitoxin can be obtained from CDC on request.
  • Learn more about Diphtheria Antitoxin and how to request it
     
• Treatment with erythromycin orally or by injection (40 mg/kg/day; maximum, 2 gm/day) for 14 days, or procaine penicillin G daily, intramuscularly (300,000 U/day for those weighing 10 kg or less, and 600,000 U/day for those weighing more than 10 kg) for 14 days.
• The disease is usually not contagious 48 hours after antibiotics are instituted. Elimination of the organism should be documented by two consecutive negative cultures after therapy is completed.

• For close contacts, especially household contacts, a diphtheria toxoid booster, appropriate for age, should be given.
   
• Contacts should also receive antibiotics—benzathine penicillin G (600,000 units for persons younger than 6 years old and 1,200,000 units for those 6 years old and older) or a 7- to 10-day course of oral erythromycin, (40 mg/kg/day for children and 1 g/day for adults).
  • For compliance reasons, if surveillance of contacts cannot be maintained, they should receive benzathine penicillin G.
  • Identified carriers in the community should also receive antibiotics.
     
• Contacts should be closely monitored and antitoxin given at the first sign(s) of illness.
   
• Contacts of cutaneous diphtheria should be treated as described above; however, if the strain is shown to be nontoxigenic, investigation of contacts can be discontinued.

• All individual cases of diphtheria should be reported to the Georgia Department of Public Health. Find out more about Reporting Diphtheria
   
• Information collected on diphtheria cases is included in the  GDPH Diphtheria Case Report Form
   
• Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Disease, 5th Edition, 2012
  • Diphtheria chapter in the CDC’s Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases.