Etiologic Agent: Corynebacterium

diphtheriae (Klebs-Loeffler bacillus)

Source of Infection:
Discharges and secretions from mucus surface
of nose and nasopharynx and from skin and other skin
lesions.
 Acute febrile infection of the tonsil, throat, nose,
larynx or a wound marked by a patch or patches of
grayish membrane from which the diphtheria bacillus
is readily cultured. Nasal diphtheria is commonly
marked by one sided nasal discharge and excoriated
nostrils. Non-respiratory or cutaneous diphtheria
appears as localized punched out ulcers.
Mode of Transmission:

Contact with a patient or carrier or with

articles soiled with discharges of infected
persons. Milk has served as a vehicle.

Incubation Period:

Usually 2 to 5 days, occasionally longer.

 Period of Communicability

Variable until virulent bacilli has

disappeared from secretions and lesions:
usually 2 weeks and seldom more than 4 weeks.
 Susceptibility, Resistance
and Occurrence

• Infants born of mothers who had diphtheria

infection are relatively immune but the immunity
disappears before the 6th month.
• Recovery from an attack of diphtheria is usually
but not necessarily followed by persistent
immunity.
• Immunity is often acquired through unrecognized
infection.
• Two-thirds or more of the urban cases are in
children under 10 years of age.
 Methods of Prevention and
Control

• Active immunization of all infants (6 weeks) and

children with 3 doses of Diphtheria, Pertusis
and Tetanus (DPT) toxoid administered at 4-6
weeks intervals and then booster doses
following year after the last dose of primary
series and another dose on the 4th or 5th year of
age.
• Pasteurization of milk
• Education of parents
• Reporting cases to the Health Officer for proper
medical care.
 Public Health Nursing
Responsibility

• Carry on continuous preventive education in the

community to maintain a high level of immunity
with emphasis on the infant and pre-school age
groups.
• Observe correct technique for taking nose and
throat cultures for diphtheria.
• Teach procedures of disposal by burning of nose
and throat discharges and uneaten food as
concurrent disinfection. Family should be helped
or assisted to go to the hospital for proper
medical and nursing care, upon appearance of
suspicious symptoms.
• Encourage early prophylactic immunization of
infants and children.
 Nursing Care

• Follow prescribed dosage and correct technique in

administering antitoxin infections.
• Comfort of the patient should always be in mind.
• As in any other nursing care of communicable
disease patient, the visiting bag set up should be
outside the room of the patient or should be far
from the bedside of the patient and a separate set
upon a paper towel as in temperature taking may
be bought and placed on the bedside table or chair.
• Other nursing care should be based on the
prescribed treatment by the physician.