A few weeks ago in Khmelnitsky, a girl fell ill with diphtheria. This is the first case in Ukraine in the last few years, Vesti reported. Doctors believe that this disease is even more dangerous than measles. It gives severe complications and high mortality. Out of a thousand sick, one in ten can die.
The last epidemic in Ukraine was in the 90s. Then out of 20,000 sick Ukrainians nearly 700 people died. The first symptoms of the disease are fever, swelling and layer in the throat, so at this stage diphtheria can be mistaken for a sore throat. But then the disease leads to severe intoxication, and diphtheria plugs can block the airways.
The ailment spreads when a sick person sneezes and coughs, so you can get infected in public places, not only by airborne droplets, but also by touching objects that a sick person touched.
According to doctors, the only protection against a terrible disease is vaccination. The Ministry of Healthcare says that Ukraine already has anti-diphtheria serum. It enters the country as humanitarian aid and is distributed throughout the regions.