Diphtheria
The most effective way of preventing diphtheria is to ensure all of your vaccinations are up-to-date.
Vaccinations for diphtheria are part of the routine NHS childhood vaccination schedule .
In total, children should receive five doses of the diphtheria vaccination. It's usually combined with other vaccines. For most people, five doses provides a good level of protection against diphtheria for the rest of their life.
All babies are offered vaccination against diphtheria as part of the 5-in-1 vaccine that's given when they're eight,12 and 16 weeks old. The 5-in-1 vaccine, also known as the DTaP/IPV/Hib vaccine, protects against:
A booster vaccine against diphtheria is given as part of the 4-in-1pre-school booster (also called the DTaP/IPV vaccine) to children who are three years and four months old. The 4-in-1 vaccine protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio.
A final booster dose of the diphtheria vaccine is given as part of the 3-in-1 teenage booster (also called the Td/IPV vaccine) to teenagers when they're 14 years old. The 3-in-1 vaccine protects against diphtheria, tetanus and polio.
Ask at your GP surgery if you're not sure whether your family's vaccinations are up-to-date.
Further booster diphtheria vaccinations may be required if you're going to live or work in parts of the world where diphtheria is widespread. You should have a booster dose if your last dose was more than 10 years ago.
Regions known to have high rates of diphtheria include:
However, the areas that are considered to be high-risk for any disease can change. For up-to-date travel information, you can check:
Diphtheria is a potentially fatal contagious bacterial infection that mainly affects the nose and throat, and sometimes the skin. It is very rare in England.
Symptoms of diphtheria can include a fever, chills, a sore throat and extreme tiredness. They begin two to seven days after you become infected.
Diphtheria is treated using antibiotics and antitoxins. You will be immediately referred to hospital and admitted toan isolation ward to stop it from spreading.
Diphtheria can cause potentially life-threatening complications, such as breathing difficulties and problems with the heart and nervous system.
The most effective way of preventing diphtheria is to ensure that all of your vaccinations are up-to-date.