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What is the treatment?
If the infection is advanced, patients may need
mechanical assistance to breathe. In cases where the toxins
may have spread to the heart, kidneys, or central nervous
system, patients may need intravenous fluids, oxygen, or
cardiac medications.
The patient must be isolated. Family members
who have not been immunized, or who are very young or elderly,
must be protected from contact with the patient.
Your child's doctor will notify the local
health department and will take steps to treat everyone in the
household who may have been exposed to the bacteria. This will
include assessment of immune status, throat cultures, and
booster doses of diphtheria vaccine. They will also receive
antibiotics as a precaution.
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