$Unique_ID{PAR00166}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Tetanus}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Tetanus Muscle stiffness jaw stiff neck swallow swallows swallowing
Difficulty Difficulties extremity Pain extremities Muscles spasm spasms
Convulsion Convulsions immunization immunizations cut cuts puncture punctures
wound scratch scratches scrape scrapes burn burns insect bite bites minor
wounds vaccinated vaccination vaccinations immunized antiseptic antiseptics
lockjaw nervous system disease Clostridium tetani bacterium bacteria bacterial
anaerobic germ germs neonatal tetany drug reaction poisoning meningitis
encephalitis rabies immune globulin globulins tetanus toxoid toxoids antitoxin
antitoxins antibiotic antibiotics}
$Log{}

Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Tetanus


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Muscle stiffness, especially of the jaw and neck
     - Difficulty in swallowing
     - Pain in the extremities
     - Muscle spasms
     - Convulsions

     HOME CARE
     - Treat all wounds, even minor ones, promptly.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - Tetanus can be fatal.  Be sure your child is properly protected by
       immunization.
     - Tetanus can enter the body through a cut or puncture wound, as well as
       a scratch, burn, insect bite, or other minor wound.  All wounds should
       be treated at once.
     - All family members should be vaccinated against tetanus.
     - If a mother has not been immunized against tetanus, her newborn baby is
       susceptible to tetanus.
     - Tetanus can infect a newborn baby through the stump of the umbilical
       cord.  If a baby is delivered at home, be certain that strict
       antiseptic techniques are employed during and immediately after the
       birth.


     Tetanus (lockjaw) is a disease of the nervous system and is caused by the
Clostridium tetani bacterium.  This germ grows in the absence of oxygen and
normally lives in soil, dust, and the intestines and intestinal wastes of
animals and humans.  It easily enters the body through puncture wounds or
cuts, but can also enter through a scratch, scrape, burn, or insect bite.  The
incubation period for tetanus (the time between exposure to the bacteria and
the development of symptoms) is three to 21 days.  Tetanus is frequently
fatal.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     Once the infection is full-blown, it causes muscle stiffness, especially
of the jaw and neck (giving rise to the name lockjaw); difficulty in
swallowing; pain in the extremities; muscle spasms throughout the body; and
convulsions.  When a child has muscle spasms and convulsions days or weeks
after sustaining a wound, he probably has tetanus.  However, in newborn
infants, tetanus may be confused with a disorder called neonatal tetany (a
generally harmless condition); in older children, with a drug reaction,
poisoning, meningitis, encephalitis, or rabies.  The diagnosis can be
confirmed by laboratory tests to isolate the Clostridium tetani bacterium.

HOME CARE

     Prevention is the key to home care.  Keep your child's tetanus
immunization status up to date, and be sure to take proper care of wounds,
even minor ones, until they heal.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  If a mother has not been immunized against tetanus, her newborn baby is
     susceptible.  If a mother is immune, her baby may be temporarily immune.
  -  In newborns, the tetanus germ can enter the body through the stump of the
     umbilical cord.  If a baby is delivered at home, be certain that strict
     antiseptic techniques are employed during and immediately after the
     birth.
  -  Be certain that all members of the family have received the initial
     series of tetanus immunizations and the necessary boosters.
  -  In general, someone who receives a relatively "clean" wound (such as one
     from a kitchen utensil) should have had a tetanus booster within the
     previous ten years, and someone who receives a relatively "dirty" wound
     (such as one from a nail or barbed wire or any other that occurs
     out-of-doors) should have had a booster within the previous five years.
     For example, if your child has a puncture wound from stepping on a nail
     in the backyard, be certain that he has received a booster within the
     previous five years.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     Your doctor will take prompt care of a wound that may be infected with
tetanus and administer a tetanus booster to a child who has not been fully
immunized or tetanus immune globulin (a substance that contains antibodies to
fight tetanus) to one who has not been immunized at all.  If tetanus has
developed, your doctor will hospitalize the child and order intensive
treatment, including tetanus toxoid, tetanus immune globulin or antitoxin,
antibiotics, sedation, and intravenous fluids.  Recovery from tetanus does not
confer immunity; the patient should receive the full course of immunizations
and boosters.

RELATED TOPICS:  Animal bites; Burns; Cuts; Encephalitis; Immunizations;
Insect bites and stings; Meningitis; Poisoning; Puncture wounds; Scrapes