With Covid-19 still raging in the country comes another health bulletin. The US Embassy issued an alert call for Americans staying in the Philippines. This comes in the wake of the United States Centers for Disease Controls (CDC) Level 2 travel health notice warning of the increasing diphtheria cases in the country.
Before we get alarmed, bear in mind that like in most diseases, vaccination is the best intervention. There are four types of vaccines against the disease; Diphtheria and tetanus (DT) Vaccines; Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP) Vaccines; Tetanus and Diphtheria (Td) Vaccines; and Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) vaccines.
Diphtheria is an infection from a bacterial strain called Corynebacterium diphthriae that makes toxins and this can be spread person-to-person close contact through inhaling respiratory droplets. Infected individuals will experience difficulty in breathing, weakness, sore throat, mild fever and swollen glands in the neck.
Diphtheria is not new in the Philippines. In a study conducted by Nobuo Saito titled 'Clinical, Molecular and Spatial Characterization' Diphtheria in Metro Manila and according to World Health Organization, there are an average of 56 annual cases in the country from early 2006 to 2017.
The result of the study shows the majority of the patients admitted to San Lazaro Hospital (where the study was conducted) are children ages 5-9 years old.
"Our study revealed that diphtheria persists as a public health problem in Metro Manila, the Philippines, causing preventable childhood deaths. Renewed efforts to improve vaccine coverage of the primary course of DPT are needed, as well as consideration of an additional booster dose for children younger than 5 years, encouraging education and awareness for early detection and treatment, and ensuring a sustainable supply of DAT," said the study.