What should you know about toxin of diphtheria?

The toxin can injure cells near the infection and may enter the bloodstream, allowing effects beyond the original site. In the throat, diphtheria may cause a sore throat, fever, swollen neck glands, and a thick grey or white coating that can make breathing or swallowing difficult. The coating should not be scraped away because it may bleed and may obstruct the airway.

More serious effects can involve the heart or nerves. A person may therefore need monitoring even when throat symptoms seem to be settling. Diphtheria spreads through respiratory droplets and close contact, so clinicians may also assess people who have been exposed.

Seek urgent medical care and mention any contact with a person known or suspected to have diphtheria, travel history, and vaccination history. Keep distance from others while arranging advice, cover coughs, and do not share cups, utensils, towels, or toothbrushes.

Treatment may include an antitoxin to neutralise toxin that is still circulating and antibiotics to clear the bacteria. Antibiotic Treatment can be part of the plan, but it does not replace urgent assessment. Close contacts may need testing, preventive treatment, or vaccination advice.

Call emergency services immediately for difficulty breathing, noisy breathing, blue or grey lips, inability to swallow saliva, rapidly increasing neck swelling, confusion, fainting, or severe weakness. These signs can indicate airway compromise or wider effects of the toxin.

A sore throat with fever after close exposure also warrants same-day medical advice, particularly when vaccination is incomplete or uncertain. Do not wait for a coating in the throat to appear.

Ask whether an antitoxin, antibiotics, throat testing, isolation precautions, or heart and nerve monitoring are needed. Confirm when you can return to work or school, which household contacts need assessment, and whether your vaccination record needs updating through Childhood Immunisation.