The Union Health Ministry has sought a report from the Rajasthan government over the death of six children due to Diphtheria – a bacterial disease caused by a bacterium that affects the upper respiratory tract causing severe damage to the heart and nerves.

According to a Times of India report, the children lost their lives in the past month due to the infection, with the latest casualty being a five-year-old from Deeg village in Sikri. TOI report blames the poor immunization coverage in the backward area – the only way to prevent this contagious infection.

The first death in the state happened on September 14 – when a seven-year-old boy from Kaman village succumbed to the disease. Thereafter, three more children died around the month's end, including a six-year-old girl. “We have prepared a detailed report on diphtheria cases in Deeg which will be shared with the Union health ministry,” a senior health department official was quoted by the Times of India. According to the report, teams have been dispatched to the Sikri for further investigations. Officials say they would also be administering antibiotics to children of the area, and so for that, a list of the eligibles has been drawn.

According to the World Health Organisation, diphtheria - caused by a bacterium called Corynebacterium diphtheriae – spreads when it releases a toxin that causes a buildup of grey tissue in your throat, causing severe issues with swallowing and breathing. In warmer areas, those who have diphtheria sometimes also develop skin sores that do not heal and become covered with grey tissue. This type of diphtheria – known as cutaneous diphtheria, also happens in the US when people live in crowded and unhealthy conditions.

Doctors say you can catch this disease through airborne droplets that contain bacteria which get spread through sneezing, coughing, or spitting - or even by touching something that has bacteria on it. It is also possible that an infected person transmits the disease through an open sore touched by someone else.

When bacteria adhere to the lining of your respiratory system, they generate a toxin that damages your respiratory tissue cells. And so, within the next two or three days, the tissue left behind forms a bulky, grey coating, which covers tissues in your voice box, throat, nose, and tonsils.

A few common symptoms of this condition include:

• Severe pain in your throat
• Weakness and fatigue
• High fever
• Swollen neck glands.
• Issue with breathing
• Problems swallowing food
• Issues with your nerves, kidneys and heart

According to experts, an infected person typically shows signs of diphtheria around two to five days after exposure. the length of time for symptoms to show can be anywhere from one to ten days after exposure.

Doctors say while you can treat the disease successfully if it gets diagnosed immediately by providing antitoxins to stop damage to your organs, prevention is the best cure.

The vaccine designed to stop diphtheria includes the one that protects you against multiple infections at once, like pertussis or whooping cough and tetanus. There are different immunization schedules for getting the series of shots, including booster shots after the first ones are given.

In general, vaccine side effects might include fever, pain, or redness at the needle site, and rarely, an allergic reaction to the vaccine itself.

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