Health and Wellness Tips
Tetanus Vaccination—"An ounce of Prevention"
So, when was your last tetanus vaccination?
Tetanus—what's that you ask?
Tetanus, commonly referred to as lockjaw, is a serious disease of the nervous system caused by a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium tetani that enters the body through a cut or wound.
Transmission: bacterium enters the body through a break in the skin. Most people think that only a puncture wound from a rusty nail can cause Tetanus. Wrong! Spores of Clostridium tetani can live for years in spoil and animal feces. Small cracks in one's skin, while working in the garden for example or exposure to cat/dog scratches and/or bites, can make one susceptible to this infection.
Once the tetanus bacteria gain entry into a person's body, infection can develop in both minor superficial wounds and deep, contaminated wounds.
In the United States, people with burns or surgical wounds, as well as those who inject drugs, are particularly at risk of developing a tetanus infection. After childbirth, an infection of the mother's uterus and the umbilical stump of the newborn (tetanus neonatorum) can occur. Tetanus bacteria produce a toxin as they grow. It is the toxin, not the bacteria themselves, that cause the symptoms of infection.
Most common symptoms include: jaw stiffness, difficulty swallowing, restlessness, irritability, headache, fever, sore throat, chills, muscle spasms, and stiffness in the neck, arms and legs. These usually appear 5 to 10 days after infection with the bacteria, but they can appear as soon as 2 days or as late as 50 days.
Later symptoms include: difficulty in opening the jaw, spasms of the facial muscles produces a facial expression of a fixed smile and raised eyebrows, rigidity or spasm of the abdominal, neck, and back muscles.
Complications include: death is most likely in the very young and very old and in injecting drug users. Death occurs in about 11% of cases, especially people over age 60. The prognosis is grave if symptoms worsen rapidly or treatment is delayed.
Prevention: preventing tetanus by vaccination is far better than treating tetanus once it develops. Children usually receive the tetanus vaccine as part of the series that includes the diphtheria and pertussis vaccines. Once initial immunization occurs as a child, adults should receive a tetanus boosters every five to 10 years.
A person who suffers a wound and who has had a tetanus booster dose in the past 5 years doesn't need any further tetanus vaccination. However, a person who hasn't had a booster dose in the past five years and sustains a wound should receive one as soon as possible after injury, generally within 72 hours.
A person who sustains a wound and who has never been vaccinated for Tetanus or did not receive the complete series of vaccinations, is usually given an injection of tetanus immunoglobulin to neutralize the toxin and the first of three monthly vaccinations
Most adults can't remember when they last received a tetanus shot.
Since most injuries occur when you least expect them and generally when your physician's office is closed, a trip to the emergency room for a tetanus booster can be quite costly and inconvenient. Unfortunately, most people will defer getting the booster, thereby putting themselves at risk for tetanus. Make a point to check with your family physician as to when you last had a Tetanus booster. If you are in need of a booster, do it before an injury occurs. This way, it will be one less thing to worry about at the time of injury.
