Diphtheria don kill pipo for Kano state
Kano state goment on Thursday confam di outbreak of di deadly Diphtheria infection wey don kill at least 25 pipo for di state.
Di state Commissioner for Health, Dr Aminu Tsanyawa, confam for statement say di killer disease symptoms be sore throat, cough, drooling of saliva, change of voice, neck swelling, abnormal breathing, fever or mouth odour, and odas.
Di commissioner, wey confam di outbreak, say di state emergency preparedness committee don dey meet sabi di casualty figures, review di data and how dem fit address di situation.
Tsanyawa say presently, di state rapid response team don also reactivate one indexed action plan to check di spread of di deadly disease for di state.
E say wetin cause di spread of di disease be due to di hard-to- reach areas for di state.
Wetin be Diphtheria
Diphtheria be one serious bacterial infection wey dey affect di mucous membranes of di nose and throat.
Diphtheria fit dey treated wit medicine. But if e don enter advance stage, e fit damage di heart, kidneys and nervous system. Even wit treatment, diphtheria fit dey deadly, especially for pikin dem.
Sign say you get diphtheria
Diphtheria signs and symptoms usually start from two to five days afta pesin dey infected. Signs and symptoms fit include:
- One thick, gray membrane wey cover di throat and tonsils
- One sore throat and hoarseness
- Swell glands for di neck
- Difficulty for breathing or rapid breathing
- Nasal discharge
- Fever and chills
- Tiredness
For some pipo, infection wit bacteria wey dey cause diphtheria dey only dey cause sickness wey no too serious— or make pesin no see any signs and symptoms at all. Pipo wey dey Infected wey no sabi say dem sick dey known as carriers of diphtheria. Dem dey call carriers sake of say dem fit spread di infection without any sickness themselves.
Skin (cutaneous) diphtheriaDis na di second type of diphtheria wey fit affect di ski.
E dey cause pain, redness and swelling wey similar to oda bacterial skin infections.
Ulcer gray membrane cover also fit be sign of skin diphtheria.
Although e dey more common for tropical. And e fit happun especially among pipo wey get poor hygiene and dey live for crowded conditions.
Wen you fit see doctor
Make you go see doctor shaparly if you or your pikin don dey exposed to pesin wey get diphtheria.
Wetin dey Cause Diphtheria
Diphtheria dey happun through one bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Di bacterium dey multiply for near di surface of di throat or skin. C. diphtheriae dey spread through:
Airborne droplet. Wen pesin wey dey infected sneeze or cough and release mist of droplet wey dey contaminated , pipo wey dey near fit inhale C. diphtheriae. Diphtheria dey spread easily dis way, especially for place wey dey crowded.
Contaminated pesin or house items. Sometimes pipo dey catch diphtheria wen touch infected pesin tins, like used tissues or hand towels, wey fit dey contaminated wit di bacteria.
To touch infected pesin wound also fit transfer diphtheria-causing bacteria.
Risk
Pipo wey dey at increased risk to catch diphtheria include:
Children and adults
Pipo wey dey live for crowded or dirty conditions
Anyone wey travel to area wia diphtheria infections dey more common
Problem of Diphtheria
If you no treat am, diphtheria fit lead to:
Breathing problems
Bacteria wey dey cause Diphtheria fit produce toxin Wey go damage tissue for di immediate area of infection — usually, di nose and throat. And dat one dey block breathing.
Heart damage
Diphtheria toxin fit spread through di bloodstream and damage oda tissues for di body. For example, e fit damage di heart muscle, cause complications as inflammation of di heart muscle (myocarditis). Heart damage from myocarditis fit dey slight or severe. At worst, myocarditis fit lead to heart failure and sudden death.
Nerve damage
Di toxin fit also cause nerve damage. Targets be throat nerves, wia poor nerve conduction fit make am difficult to swallow. Nerves to di arms and legs also fit dey inflamed, and cause muscle weakness.
Wit treatment, most pipo wey get diphtheria dey survive dis complications, but recovery often dey slow. Diphtheria dey fatal about 5% to 10% of di time. Rates of death dey higher for children under age 5 or adults older dan age 40.
How to prevent Diphtheria
Before antibiotics dey available, diphtheria be one common sickness for young pikins.
Today, di disease no only dey treatable but also preventable wit vaccine.
