REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Tropical Infections and Pediatrics Division staff, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia (FKUI) and pediatric health specialist at Dr Cipto Mangunkusumo National Central General Hospital (RSCM) Dr Nina Dwi Putri, SpA(K), emphasized the importance early detection within 72 hours if a family member experiences symptoms of diphtheria. Nina explained that early detection was necessary because diphtheria causes the risk of heart, kidney, nerve complications and respiratory tract obstruction.
“If you have children, ladies and gentlemen, if they have a sore throat or difficulty eating, they should check their mouths with a flashlight. If there are grayish-white membranes, immediately have them checked at the community health center,” said Nina while attending an online seminar with the DKI Jakarta Health Service, Tuesday (26/9/2023).
Nina explained that other symptoms of diphtheria that you need to watch out for are sore throat, swollen glands in the neck, problems breathing and swallowing, fever, chills, and even a violent cough. Diphtheria, said Nina, is focused on the respiratory tract because the disease comes from the bacteria Corynabacterium diphteriae which causes infections, especially in the throat.
He added that apart from causing respiratory problems, diphtheria can also release poison or toxins which cause complications in many organs which can lead to death.
“The most common cause of death is because the respiratory tract is blocked by the grayish-white membrane caused by diphtheria,” said Nina.
For this reason, Nina advised people with symptoms of diphtheria to immediately go to the nearest medical facility to determine the symptoms of the disease and its impact. “There is a fairly large period of time that needs to be checked by a doctor, if we give diphtheria, if we give antibiotics and most importantly, anti-diphtheria can stop complications and can save the lives of your children, ladies and gentlemen,” added Nina.
Nina added that you should always be alert if there is vaginal discharge in your throat and immediately ask a health worker whether it is part of diphtheria or not. Because there are several other diseases that also cause vaginal discharge in the mouth or throat.
“Diphtheria has a characteristic, the color is not pure white. But rather grayish white because the membrane usually has bleeding dots because it is very sticky in the throat,” added Nina.
Pentabio Immunization
Nina said that diphtheria could be prevented by carrying out Pentabio anti-diphtheria immunization. “In Pentabio there are immunizations for diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B and haemophilus influenza type b. And we provide immunizations to children at the age of two to four months, then there is a repetition at the age of 18 months, and another repetition at elementary school first, second and fifth grade,” said Nina.
Nina advised the public to increase awareness about diphtheria disease by completing immunizations. All ages from one to 17 years old need to receive repeated diphtheria immunizations regularly, such as at School Child Immunization Month (BIAS) or with boosters in non-government programs.
He said that when immunization coverage was good, diphtheria cases in Indonesia decreased to zero. It was previously reported that in 2019, diphtheria cases spread to almost all regions in Indonesia, totaling 529 cases, with a total of 23 deaths.
“We have proven that over the years, when our immunization coverage is good, diphtheria disease begins to decline, even within a year the number of diphtheria cases can reach zero,” added Nina.
Nina also added that diphtheria can also be prevented by implementing a clean and healthy lifestyle (PHBS).
“Don’t forget to always be careful, wash your hands, wear a mask, and don’t share eating utensils with other people,” Nina added.
source: Between
2023-09-26 11:25:00
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