One more diphtheria case reported from Oachira

Kollam: Another case of diphtheria was detected among the students of a madrassa in Oachria in the district on Monday. DMO Dr V V Shirley said that a 11-year-old boy was found to be affected by the disease and was admitted to the SAT hospital, Thiruvananthapuram.
The other day, a 15-year-old boy, also a student of the madrassa, was found to be infected with diphtheria and he had been admitted to the Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. The DMO said that the affected children hadn’t taken the anti- diphtheria vaccine.
It was after several years that a case of diphtheria was being reported in the district, Dr Shirley said.
There were 253 students in the madrassa and all of them have been quarantined to check the spread of the disease.
The teachers, who had contact with the students, also were asked to remain in separate rooms. Doctors from Oachira public health centre have been asked to examine the students as well as the teachers on a regular basis.
High fever and throat pain are the symptoms of the disease. When a person is infected with the disease, a membrane is developed in the throat causing severe throat pain besides high fever.
“Patients need bed rest and aggressive medication,” the DMO said.