If the subject has never come up before, there is significant risk that your child, now a teenager, will not be receptive to this message. Read our tips for parents about sex education and our guide to age-appropriate sex education.
Putrid throat: a historic term for a severely inflamed throat, with tissue destruction, and fetid odor, often due to strep throat (streptococcal pharyngitis) or diphtheria. REFERENCE: Kasper, D., et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine..
diphtheria [(dif-theer-ee-uh, dip-theer-ee-uh)] An acute disease, and a contagious disease, caused by bacteria that invade mucous membranes in the body, especially those found in the throat. The bacteria produce toxic substances that can spread throughout the body.