Immunization of close contacts Introduction Diphtheria is disease seen more commonly in third world countries. It is an infection caused by an organism corynebacterium diphtheria. It also causes the upper respiratory tract to be swollen and edematous. The associated lymph nodes in the neck region get enlarged. If left untreated the disease can be fatal.
Diphtheria is a rare disease in most developed countries owing to routine vaccination of children.
Some of the more recent epidemics seen in USSR was largely due to decreasing immunization coverage among infants and children, which may have been due to the non-availability of the vaccine in these areas. Problem of Diphtheria in India. Diphtheria continues to make its presence felt in India. It is still endemic to India. The available retrospective data indicate a declining trend of diphtheria.