Epiglottitis isn't something that we see a lot of. There's nothing (yet) about it on Enlighten me, and e-learning modules on it are scarce. That is probably because it's not very common. But when we do see it, it is life threatening.
There is a great picture here of what a larynx is supposed to look like in epiglottitis. This would explain the symptoms, and why we worry about it.
Epiglottitis is caused by Haemophilus influenza B type. 15% of HIB cases present with epiglottitis. The "green book" has excellent information on immunisation, and tells you everything you'd ever want to know about HIB.
The above frame was taken from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/147953/Green-Book-Chapter-16.pdf
If you'd actually like to learn about epiglottitis, there is an American tutorial here.
http://boringem.org/2014/07/21/adult-epiglottitis-just-hot-potato/
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