Serious complications also can result when adults or teenagers, particularly males, get mumps. The rubella virus usually causes mild sickness with fever, swollen glands and a rash that last about three days. But, if a pregnant woman gets rubella, she can lose her baby, or the baby can be born blind, deaf, mentally retarded or with heart defects or other serious problems. The vaccine is combined with those for measles and for mumps. An infectious disease spread by bacteria or germs that live in the mouth, throat and nose of an infected person, diphtheria is easily passed to others through coughing and sneezing.
Early symptoms are a sore throat, a slight fever and chills.
Usually the disease develops in the throat and can make it hard to swallow. If not treated, or not treated in time, the bacteria may produce a powerful poison that can spread throughout the body causing serious complications such as heart failure or paralysis. For years, diphtheria killed many children in the United States and could again if children are not immunized. Adults get continuing protection from diphtheria and tetanus in the same shot. Due to the success of immunizations, there has not been a case of diphtheria reported in Illinois since 1985.