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Unprotected People Reports: Diphtheria |
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A Death from Diphtheria |
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| Click here for a fully-formatted PDF version
of this report |
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| The following story was contributed via e-mail by an
"IAC Express" reader, Carolyn Hardman, and is reprinted here with her permission. |
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In 1961, I tended my young cousin while her mother went to work. She was ill with a fever and complained of a
sore throat. The next morning she was unable to breath and began turning blue. An ambulance was called and she
was transported to St. Mark's Hospital in North Salt Lake. The doctors there performed a tracheotomy and did
everything they could for her, but she passed away that afternoon from diphtheria. Later that week I also became
very ill, as did my aunt and another cousin. Although I never became ill enough to be hospitalized, my aunt and
cousin were in the hospital by the end of the week.
I had been immunized against diphtheria as an infant, but had never had a booster. My case at age 15 was
considered mild, but I thought it was awful. Like my young cousin, I suffered from a high fever and
experienced difficulty breathing. I survived and have never missed a booster immunization. All of my children
and grandchildren also have been fully immunized.
My young cousin who passed away at the age of two was not so fortunate. Her mother had never gotten around
to getting her vaccinated. My cousin would have survived the attack of diphtheria if she had only been immunized.
Her mother and brother both survived and have since become great supporters of immunization. But nothing can
bring back little Lois--no matter how much we all wish things had been different.
Carolyn Hardman, RN
Garfield County Public Health Nurse and County Supervisor
Panguitch, UT
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| 3/15/00 • REPORT #26 |
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| Disclaimer: The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) publishes
Unprotected People Reports for the purpose of making them available
for our readers' review. We have not verified the content of this
report. |
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