Have you ever wondered why doctors make you get a tetanus shot once every 10 years? Why do they especially make you get the vaccine after an object punctures your skin? Well, it’s because the vaccine can protect you against tetanus infection, an incredibly painful disease. When you experience a puncture wound from an object (could be a needle or a nail) that has been contaminated by the clostridium tetani, the spores develop into bacteria as they enter the body. However, the good news is that it does not spread from person to person.
This bacteria can only affect the body through:
Cuts
Punctures
Burns
Crush injuries
Insect bites
Chronic sores
Compound fractures
Dental infections
Superficial wounds
Surgical procedures.
Tetanus infection is commonly known as ‘lockjaw’ because the most common symptom is the locking of the jaw and neck which leads to difficulty swallowing and the inability to open your mouth.
Some main symptoms include:
jaw cramping
muscle spasms
difficulty swallowing
Seizures
Headache
Fever
Changes in blood pressure & heart rate
These symptoms are caused by the infection, but there could be some serious complications that could occur. The health problems include:
involuntary tightening of the vocal cords
bone fractures
blockage of lung
pneumonia
difficulty breathing
Once you are affected, you need immediate hospital care, antibiotics, medicine to control muscle spasms, and the vaccine. The tetanus immune globulin is a tetanus antitoxin, but it can only neutralize bacteria that haven’t bonded to nerve tissue. Chlorpromazine and Diazepam will control the muscle spasms in order to reduce the symptoms. Lastly, you will receive antibiotics such as penicillin G, metronidazole, and doxycycline.
Nutrition is required as a result of increased muscle activity. The doctor will ask you to increase your caloric intake in order to provide the required amount of energy. One thing to remember is the earlier the diagnosis, the more effective the treatment will be.
Even though there are many ways to treat the infection, the best outcome will occur if you prevent the infection altogether. Caring for the wounds by disinfecting and washing your hands with soap and water will protect against the infection.
In the United States, the tetanus infection is not as common with only about 30 cases each year. Prevention methods have reduced the cases, but the people who do not take caution by receiving vaccines are the ones who are most commonly infected. Globally 38,000 people died from tetanus in 2017. However, the creation of the vaccine has made massive progress in controlling the disease. Since 1990, the number of deaths from tetanus has fallen by 88% and this credits the vaccine. The majority of the cases also tend to occur with children who are under the age of 5. 77% of all deaths occur in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The number of cases has decreased, but the major regions have remained the same.
A 38-year-old man struck his right shin with a hammer. The hammer penetrated the skin and made it bleed. 7 days later, he began to feel discomfort in his right jaw and neck. 3 after he began to feel pain, his wife urged him to seek medical assistance. The doctors tended to the wound by sterilizing and debriding it. He was given anti-tetanus immunoglobulin and metronidazole before he left against medical advice (AMA). He came back the next day and was afebrile (not feverish) and asymptomatic. After that, he went home and was instructed to take metronidazole for the next ten days. By the end, he was completely asymptomatic, afebrile, and had a clean wound.
In conclusion, the tetanus infection can be incredibly dangerous and cause serious complications, but with the prevention, disinfection of wounds, and vaccines, we can see that the entire world has benefitted and reduced the number of people who suffer from this disease.
Stay safe and stay infection-free
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