WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DIPHTHERIA?

Do you know that osun state is among the state ravaged by diphtheria ?

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Friday, January 20th confirmed the outbreak of diphtheria disease in Lagos, Kano and Osun states.

While, the agency is responding to the situation, the disease has reportedly left about 25 persons dead in the North-Western state.

What is diphtheria?

Diphtheria is a severe bacterial disease caused by the spread of a bacterium, Corynebacterium species, mainly by toxin-producing Corynebacterium diphtheriae and rarely by toxin-producing strains of C. ulcerans and C. pseudotuberculosis, NCDC explains.

Possible symptoms from diphtheria include:

A sore throat

Swollen glands in your neck

Trouble breathing

Slurred speech

Fevers and chills

Tiredness

Nasal discharge

A second type of diphtheria can also grow on your skin. This type of infection leads to painful, red, and swollen skin. You could also get ulcers with a thick gray coating.