Croup, known as diphtheria, is a serious bacterial infection that affects mucous membranes in the throat and nose. It is caused by a kind of bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheria. Once you have been infected, it will release toxins entering the bloodstream, which leads to thick and gray membranes in the nose, throat, tongue, and airway. In some cases, these toxins can damage to other organs in the body including the heart, brain, and kidneys. Hence, this disease leads to life-threatening complications such as myocarditis, paralysis or kidney failure.

Symptoms of croup usually appear within two to five days after being infected by the bacteria. Some people will have no symptoms while others develop mild symptoms mistaken for a common cold. Apart from forming thick and gray membranes in throat and tonsils, there are other common symptoms such as fever, chills, swollen glands in the neck, sore throat, pale skin, drooling and feeling nervous or worried.

Croup is usually passed from o…