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(Eagle News) – The Manila Health Department again appealed to the public to have their children, specially babies, vaccinated in health centers following the death of a 10-year old elementary student due to diphtheria.
The death of a Grade 4 student studying at the Zamora Elementary School also prompted health officials to conduct prophylactic treatment for students who had contact with the victim.
The victim first complained of fever and sore throat while in school.
Dr. Edgar Santos, chief of the special operations of the Manila Health Department, said they have already sent swab samples of the student to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
Josefina de Guzman, the school nurse of the Zamora Elementary School, said the Grade 4 student first complained of fever while at school and was first sent to the clinic on Sept. 12 by her teacher. But she wasn’t able to see the nurse that day as she was then working on another school which was also under her.
The next day, Friday, the student was not able to see the school nurse again. The student was absent the following week. The girl’s aunt then told the school that the student had died on Friday, Sept. 20.
After the news of the student’s case, the whole school was disinfected. Her classmates and members of her family who had close contact with her was also given prophylaxis.
Some parents were alarmed after learning about what happened to the Grade 4 student.
Many were afraid to send their children to school.
This prompted the school to appeal to the parents of the students to allow their children to go to school, saying there was no cause for alarm.
The student has reportedly not received any vaccine since birth.
Dr. Santos said that before this, there has been no recent cases of diphtheria in Manila.
-Preventable disease-
Diphtheria is a preventable disease since there is a vaccine for this.
“Dapat kumpleto bakuna ng mga bata. Usually binibigyan yan mga bata below 1 yr old. Meron tayo booster shot after ng bakuna na yun. Dapat kumpleto yun. So pag kumpleto yun mas hindi sya risk magkaron ng diptheria,” Santos said as he appealed to parents to bring their babies and other children to health centers for the required vaccines.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Diphtheria causes a thick covering in the back of the throat. It can lead to difficulty breathing, heart failure, paralysis, and even death.
In the Philippines, the DPT vaccines given in three doses to babies starting at six weeks aim to prevent the occurrence of the three infectious diseases: diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), and tetanus.
Bacteria that cause diphtheria can get into and attach to the lining of the respiratory system, which includes parts of the body that help you breathe. When this happens, the bacteria can produce a poison (toxin) that can cause: Weakness, Sore throat, Fever, and Swollen glands in the neck
The poison destroys healthy tissues in the respiratory system, according to the CDC.
“Within two to three days, the dead tissue forms a thick, gray coating that can build up in the throat or nose. Medical experts call this thick gray coating a ‘pseudomembrane.’ It can cover tissues in the nose, tonsils, voice box, and throat, making it very hard to breathe and swallow. The poison may also get into the blood stream and cause damage to the heart, nerves, and kidneys,” the CDC website said.
Complications from diphtheria may include:
Blocking of the airway
Damage to the heart muscle (myocarditis)
Nerve damage (polyneuropathy)
Loss of the ability to move (paralysis)
Lung infection (respiratory failure or pneumonia)
CDC said that even with treatment, about 1 in 10 diphtheria patients die. Without treatment, up to half of patients can die from the disease. (with a report from Madelyn Villar Moratillo, Eagle News Service)
