One type involves the nose and throat, and the other involves the skin. Symptoms include sore throat, low-grade fever and enlarged lymph nodes located in the neck. A membrane may form across the throat. Skin lesions may be painful, swollen and reddened. A person with diphtheria may have no symptoms.
Symptoms usually appear two to five days after exposure, with a range of one to six days.
Untreated people who are infected with the diphtheria bacteria are usually contagious for up to two weeks, and seldom more than four weeks. If treated with appropriate antibiotics, the contagious period can be limited to less than four days. Recovery from diphtheria is not always followed by lasting immunity. This vaccine should be given at two, four, six, and 15 months of age, and between four and six years of age. Certain antibiotics, such as penicillin and erythromycin, can be prescribed for the treatment of diphtheria.