Question:medium
A patient presents with the feature shown in the image. The patient has another 3-year-old sibling at home who is fully immunized as per the immunization schedule. What is the best measure to prevent diphtheria in the sibling of this diphtheria case?
A patient presents with the feature shown in the image. The patient has another 3-year-old sibling at home who is fully immunized as per the immunization schedule. What is the best measure to prevent diphtheria in the sibling of this diphtheria case?
Show Hint
The contact is fully immunized and got a booster within the last 2 years: think about whether anything extra is needed.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Give diphtheria toxoid booster
- Give a full course of DPT vaccine
- Give prophylactic erythromycin
- Nothing is required to be done
Show Solution
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Frame it as a contact-management problem. The picture is the classic diphtheritic pseudomembrane, but the marks are for the sibling, not the patient. The sibling is 3 years old and fully immunized.
Schedule check: in the national programme the DPT booster lands at 16 to 24 months and again at 5 years. So a fully covered 3-year-old has received the 16 to 24 month booster very recently and already has protective antitoxin. That immunity is current.
Choosing the action: an extra toxoid booster (A) or a fresh full DPT course (B) is redundant in someone already up to date, and antibiotic prophylaxis (C) is meant for unimmunized or incompletely immunized contacts, or carriers, not for a recently boosted child. With protection in place and the booger not due until age 5, the right move for exam purposes is to do nothing extra, option D. Ref: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 25e, p.174.
Schedule check: in the national programme the DPT booster lands at 16 to 24 months and again at 5 years. So a fully covered 3-year-old has received the 16 to 24 month booster very recently and already has protective antitoxin. That immunity is current.
Choosing the action: an extra toxoid booster (A) or a fresh full DPT course (B) is redundant in someone already up to date, and antibiotic prophylaxis (C) is meant for unimmunized or incompletely immunized contacts, or carriers, not for a recently boosted child. With protection in place and the booger not due until age 5, the right move for exam purposes is to do nothing extra, option D. Ref: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 25e, p.174.
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