Tetanus shot: protection from harm or threat to health?

The tetanus vaccine

Vaccination against tetanus in all countries is included in the number required. Of course, people can at your own risk to abandon it, but often, the decision becomes the cause of lack of information or produce a false, distorted facts. So before you make such an important decision, let's also understand what the vaccine is, to whom, when and how it should be done.

This disease is not new. Even the ancient physicians attributed the wounds, contaminated land, with consequent paralysis of the muscles, which in most cases ended in death of the patient.

Already in the last century, the doctors were able to more thoroughly understand the mechanism of this disease. It turned out that tetanus is an infectious disease that is caused by the bacteria Clostridium tetani that affects not only humans, but nearly all warm-blooded.

For getting the bacteria into human bloodstream small enough cut. Its spores are present in large numbers in soil, dust, urban, dirt, and contamination can occur anywhere and anytime. At the moment there is no effective targeted therapy of tetanus, and even if timely treatment after the onset of symptoms, the mortality rate reaches 50%.

That is why even today the only adequate method of protection remains the tetanus vaccine.

When vaccinations for children?

Theoretically, vaccination against tetanus must regularitalic all people, regardless of age, but this is especially important for children. Due to the weak, undeveloped immune system, increased risk of injury and frequent contact with earth, sand, dust, they have the highest risk of infection.

Therefore, almost all countries have adopted mandatory immunization programmes for children. To obtain a long lasting and strong immunity, you need to make 6 doses in well-defined time:

• 3 months from birth.
• 45 days to 4.5 months.
• 45 days – 6 months.
• After a year or 1.5 years.
• At the age of 7 years.
• At the age of 14 years.

When vaccinations for adults?

I often wonder what kind of vaccination is needed for children only. But consider this: has it ever happened that you've got cuts everyday on a rusty nail? Or during garden work? Or just broke the skin, and it got dirt? Any injury can theoretically be the entrance gate for infection. And immunity after the last "child" of the vaccine is not more than 10 years.

It often happens that a person thinks about their safety as adults, but can not remember how many vaccinations a tetanus shot he received when he was made last, and whether she did, or after the last "baby injection" has been more than 10 years.

In this case, doing multiple vaccinations – when you call, and then the first booster after 45 days and the second after 6-9 months. Following a tetanus shot make in 10 years.

After vaccination against tetanus

For people and children who are prone to allergic reactions, most clinicians recommend preventive to take for 2-3 days, antihistamines. This will reduce the risk of allergic reactions.

In the first three days is necessary to monitor the temperature. A small rise is not terrible, and threatening the values it achieves rarely. So the increase in body temperature to 40 degrees occurs in 1 out of 14,000 cases.

If you were vaccinated against tetanus adults need to know that after vaccination, you can not drink alcohol, a heavy meal, relax in the sauna. It is better to relax. Soak the injection site.

Existing types of vaccines against tetanus

Now used several types of vaccines:

• DTP. "Adsorbed pertussis-diphtheria-tetanus vaccine". The so-called comprehensive vaccine, which protects against three dangerous diseases of these. As a rule, itdo children under one year. In addition to domestic vaccine on the market you can find foreign counterparts: the Belgian Tritronics and new year, Tracelevels German and French D. T. Kok and Tetracom, which also includes the polio vaccine.
• ADS. "Adsorbed diphtheria-tetanus vaccine". This is the name of the other comprehensive vaccines, which excluded whooping cough. It is used for revaccination after 6 years and also for adults. Its foreign analogue is the French Imovax D. T. Adult.
• TD. the Analog of ADS, but with a reduced content of diphtheria toxoid.
• ACE. "Adsorbed tetanus vaccine". Used if patient is allergic to other components of the DTP and ADF.
• HELL-M. Antitoxin diphtheria with reduced antigen content.

Any type and manufacturer are selected on the basis of age and health status of the patient.

Contraindications to vaccination

As with any medication, this vaccine has a number of contraindications. It can not be done in the following cases:

• Baby weight less than 2.3 kg.
• All diseases in acute form.
• Hemophilia newborns.
• Septic inflammation of the skin.
• Brain damage in the presence of manifestations.
• Immunodeficiency.
• Allergic reaction to vaccine components.
• A congenital enzyme defect.
• Complications of vaccination against tetanus in the past.
• Pathology of the nervous system.
• Pregnancy.
• Old age.

Adverse reactions to tetanus vaccination

DPT is considered the most reactogenic vaccination of all mandatory and almost a third of cases it causes side effects. Most parents of young children face the following challenges:

• Discomfort, for example, a child complains that it hurts where I injected.
• Body temperature rises.
• Weakness, lethargy, or the opposite – hyperactivity.
• Swelling, the formation of indurations or redness at the injection site.
• Poor appetite.

Such displays do not require medical attention and do not threaten the health of the child. They develop in the first three days and rarely last more than two days.

Complications after vaccination

At the same time, such an injection may cause more serious consequences:

• Allergic reactions, skin rashes, anaphylactic shock.
• Salivation, runny nose, cough.
• Indigestion, diarrhea, lack of appetite, nausea.
• Palpitations, arrhythmias.
• Seizures, loss of consciousness.
• Arthritis.

It is important to note that such complications do occur rarely. Most people, regardless of age tolerate it. But to minimize the risk, doctors advise to spend some time in the clinic.

How to make a tetanus vaccination?

There is a clear method of administration of the vaccine. The main rule – the drug should be injected strictly intramuscularly. Only this localization allows the vaccine to be absorbed into the blood much as you need – for about a month. This speed is required for adequate immune response.

Therefore, the tetanus vaccine is injected in adults and adolescents under the shoulder blade, and the small children in your thigh muscle or in the upper third of the shoulder. In the gluteal muscle the vaccine do not due to well developed fat layer, with the exception of some cases of vaccination of infants.

How dangerous is tetanus shot?

Today, in many countries, including Russia, there is a fairly active antiprivivochnaya campaign. It is supported by many parents who refuse vaccinations, including against tetanus. Their motivation is clear: tetanus is a relatively rare disease, from which in Russia kills only a few dozen people a year, takes a lot of shots, they are quite painful and often accompanied by unpleasant symptoms like redness, swelling and the appearance of seals.

But they forget that the ubiquity of vaccines, both preventive and emergency, allowed dozens of times to reduce morbidity and mortality. Do not consider that the spores of this bacterium are widespread everywhere, and to deal with them entirely at any time.

Of course, there are contraindications and side effects, but we cannot say that they are too common. It is extremely important to distinguish unpleasant, but a natural side effects associated with the feature of vaccine complications. Asthma, anaphylactic shock, convulsions, loss of consciousness, arthritis – all these are isolated cases, the chance to face that is much lower than the probabilitya meeting with the bacteria that cause tetanus.

If vaccination is still not done

Many people do not give due importance to pre-vaccination, because of the lack of protection after possible contamination. But in this case all is not lost.

If the hospital gets the person with such injury, regardless of age, primarily checks made on the age of vaccination. If the course is not completed or skipped period, it is necessary to use anti-tetanus serum, often in combination with the vaccine to accelerate the formation of the immune system.

In such cases, the victim was given an injection and injected anti-tetanus human immunoglobulin. Another option – tetanus horse serum, but it is less preferred due to the increased risk of an allergic reaction. So in this case, before an injection is carried out allergopharma.

I hope that after now you will not question whether you need a tetanus shot and how it is done. We've tried to gather all the information, but the decisions you make to protect ourselves from the real threat or believe inaccurate information about the danger and uselessness of this vaccine.