Patients who get diphtheria may present with the following symptoms: • Sore throat and hoarseness • Pain when swallowing • Swollen glands (enlarged lymph nodes) in the neck • Thick, gray membrane covering the throat and tonsils (called a pseudomembrane) — NOTE: It is important to not scrape off the pseudomembrane as this may cause heavy bleeding. • Difficulty of breathing or rapid breathing • Nasal discharge • Fever and chills • Weakness • Open sores or ulcers

When signs and symptoms consistent with the disease are present in an individual, a doctor may already diagnose that person with diphtheria and treat him/her appropriately. A doctor can also swab the back of a person’s throat or nose to diagnose diphtheria, but since results from this test may take some time, it’s much more important to start treatment immediately. People with diphtheria are given an antitoxin to stop the toxin made by the bacteria from causing more damage; this is particularly important if the airways are affected. Antibiotics are also given to get rid of the bacteria; receiving antibiotics also reduces the time that a person is able to infect other people.

Currently, there are vaccines against diphtheria which can help prevent it from spreading. These vaccines for diphtheria are available for children (as young as 6 weeks old) and adults alike, and are usually given alongside vaccines for tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough). Another important way to prevent diphtheria from spreading is to have infected individuals isolate until their antibiotic treatment has been completed. People who will be in contact with these infected individuals must practice proper hand hygiene (especially after every contact) and wear masks to protect themselves from infectious droplets. If someone comes into contact with an infected individual for a significant amount of time, they can also be advised to take antibiotics as a preventive measure.