Individuals of any age, including adults, can become infected with diphtheria. However, when diphtheria cases were at their peak in the 1920’s and 1930’s, the highest death rate was among children five years of age and younger. So, while adults can get diphtheria and had a lower death rate during the peak, they were able to pass the illness on to children who were at a higher risk of serious illness. Diphtheria can present differently in infected people, much like any other illness or disease. This means that while some people will show very telltale symptoms of the illness, others may be infected by the illness and not even know it as they may have mild symptoms or no symptoms. Even if an individual doesn’t show symptoms while they have the illness, they are still infectious and can pass the illness on to other people who may have more severe outcomes. Thankfully the diphtheria vaccine has provided immunity to the majority of people in developed countries and for countries such as the United States, cases of diphtheria are extremely rare. If you have any more questions, call us now. We serve patients from Downtown Long Beach CA, Bixby Knolls Long Beach CA, Paramount CA, East Side CA, and Los Altos CA.