A short-lived but severe bacterial infection. The bacteria once in the body grows and blocks nerve signals sent from the brain and spinal cord to ones muscles.
One normally develops the symptoms after one week after exposure (range can be from three to twenty-one days) and it cannot be passed from person to person.
The effects can be long lasting 5- 6 weeks as the body needs time to recover and regrow cells (anterior horn cells) to promote normal muscle contraction.
One should get a tetanus jab/shot with 48 hours of injury, if required (especially if one has not had a tetanus jab/shot for more than 10 years)
Countries affected are:
Caribbean
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Aruba
Bahamas
Barbados
Bonaire
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Cuba
Curaçao
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Haiti
Jamaica
Martinique
Montserrat
Puerto Rico
Saba
Saint Barthelemy (French Territorial Collectivity)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin (French Territorial Collectivity)
Sint Eustatius
Sint Maarten
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos
US Virgin Islands
North America
Bermuda
Canada
Greenland
Mexico
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
United States of America (Alaska, Hawaii, Oahu, Maui)
Bacteria: Clostridium tetani (living in soil-faeces of animals, such as horses and cows, dust, piercing metals i.e nails and manure that enter via an open wound of any sort or cut of any sort through the skin)
Skin injury:
Piercings
Puncture wounds acquired in a contaminated environment (e.g. gardening injuries);
Sweating (some times this can lead to slow beating of the heart and low blood pressure– so one has alternating fast and slow heart beat and high and low blood pressure).
Immunisation and prophylaxis recommendations for tetanus-prone wounds
Aged ≥11 years and received an adequateb course of tetanus vaccine and last dose within ten years
Aged 5–10 years and received an adequate primary course of tetanus and first booster
<5 years old and received an adequate primary course of tetanus
No vaccine or tetanus immunoglobulin (TIG) required
No vaccine or TIG required
No vaccine or TIG required
Provide further doses to complete the recommended schedule (i.e. further boosters if necessary)
Received an adequateb course of tetanus, but last dose was >10 years ago
Aged 5–10 years and received an adequate primary course of tetanus but no boosters
Individuals born in the UK after 1961 with history of appropriate vaccination
No vaccine or TIG required
Administer re-enforcing dose of vaccine
Administer re-enforcing dose of vaccine
And
Immediate dose of TIG or Subgam 16% at a different site
Individuals who have not received an adequateb course of tetanus vaccine
Immunisation status unknown and/or those born before 1961
Administer re-enforcing dose of vaccine
Administer re-enforcing dose of vaccine
And
Immediate dose of TIG or Subgam 16% at a different site.
Administer re-enforcing dose of vaccine
And
Immediate dose of TIG or Subgam 16% at a different site
a Clean wound is defined as less than six hours old, non-penetrating with negligible tissue damageb Adequate course is defined as receiving at least three doses of vaccinations at appropriate time intervals
Reproduced with permission from Public Health England [3] , [6]
Indication
First line: IM-TIG
Second line: Subgam 16% (1000mg)
Table 3: Recommended dosing of intramuscular tetanus immunoglobulin (IM-TIG)/human normal immunoglobulin in tetanus-prone wounds
Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Tetanus in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).
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