Tetanus vaccination for children: why vaccination is necessary
Tetanus is an acute infectious disease caused by the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani, which is usually found in soil, dust, and manure. Spores of the pathogen, as a rule, enter the body through a wound. Tetanus bacillus produces toxins that prevent muscle contraction.
The main symptoms of tetanus in humans are muscle cramps. They usually start with the jaw (trismus) and then spread to the rest of the body. Spasmodic convulsions last several minutes and can be so severe that they cause bone fractures.
Other symptoms of tetanus:
- fever;
- sweating;
- headache;
- problems with swallowing;
- high blood pressure;
- increased heart rate.
Symptoms usually appear 3-21 days after infection. Recovery may take several months. The patient is not contagious to others. About 10% of infected people die.
Effect of tetanus vaccine
The only way to avoid infection is immunization with the tetanus vaccine. When and where is the tetanus vaccination given? In childhood, four doses are recommended, then every 10 years - additional doses. Vaccination against tetanus in children up to one year old is done in the quadriceps muscle of the thigh, less often in the deltoid muscle.
Vaccination is usually carried out according to the schedule:
- the first - at the age of two months;
- two - four months;
- the third - six months;
- fourth - from fifteen to eighteen months.
The next vaccination should be carried out every ten years. For older children, adolescents and adults, the drug is injected into the deltoid muscle.
Effects of the tetanus vaccine: The type of vaccination for this disease is called artificial active immunity. This type of immunity occurs when a dead or weakened pathogen in the body causes an immune response - the production of antibodies. This means that if the tetanus bacillus ever enters the body, the immune system will "recognize" it and react quickly. After three doses of the vaccine, almost every person develops immunity.
Emergency prevention of tetanus in adults is necessary when a person does not remember the date of the last immunization. In these cases, vaccination should be done as early as possible, preferably within 48 hours after the injury. Stepped on a rusty nail - in the trauma center, in addition to treating the wound, they will definitely give an injection "for tetanus".
The injection site hurts after the tetanus vaccination
Side effects after tetanus vaccination:
- redness, swelling, soreness around the injection site are observed in 25-85 percent of those vaccinated;
- a rise in temperature, a feeling of fatigue and muscle pain are noted in less than 1% of people;
- Severe allergic reactions occur in one person out of 100,000 vaccinated.
Like any medicine, tetanus vaccines have side effects. The injection site hurts after the tetanus vaccination, there is a reaction around the injection site (redness, swelling), swelling of the entire shoulder - this means that the body "responds" to the injection of the vaccine.
In Denmark, more serious reactions to tetanus vaccines have been reported: severe local swelling, urticaria, arthralgia, kidney effects, anaphylactic shock. None of the severe side effects resulted in death.
Patients who have contracted tetanus do not develop immunity to re-infection, which is usually characteristic of other infectious diseases. Therefore, vaccination with tetanus toxoid should be carried out by everyone without exception.
Tetanus vaccination: "for" and "against"
Children up to seven years old are vaccinated with a combined vaccine against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough. For adults and children older than seven years, a combined vaccine against tetanus and diphtheria is usually used.
The World Health Organization certifies that maternal and/or neonatal tetanus has been eliminated. At least two years with less than one infection per 1,000 births is required for country certification. The scale of a possible "tetanus epidemic" can be judged by the following figures. In 1998, 3,433 cases of neonatal tetanus were registered in Uganda, of which 2,403 died. Following a mass vaccination campaign, Uganda was certified as a tetanus-eliminated country in 2011. Therefore, all those who advocate the refusal of vaccination should be reminded of these numbers. Read about the main contraindications to vaccination on our website Dobrobut.com.
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