Tetanus
~~~~~~~
Tetanus (lockjaw) is a serious disease that causes painful tightening of the muscles,
usually all over the body. It can lead to "locking" of the jaw so the victim cannot
open his mouth or swallow. Tetanus leads to death in about 1 in 10 cases.
Several vaccines are used to prevent tetanus among children, adolescents, and adults
including DTaP, Tdap, DT, and Td(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Etiology: The bacteria(Clostridium tetani) live in soil and grow in oxygen free
----------- environment. The bacteria enter the body from the injured skin, such as
-----------car accidents and skin incision site.
Vaccine: Tetanus toxoid,
------------- 0.5ml, subcutatenously or intramuscularly.
------------- 2 times(3~8 weeks interval)
In childhood, Tetanus vaccine are administered 4 times as DTaP and again at
11 year old as DT vaccine. However, after 10 years the antibody titer against
Tetanus is declined. This is the reason why doctors administer Tetanus vaccine
in the case of deep skin injuries.
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