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Tetanus immunisation

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goodtoknow says: Thankfully not many people get tetanus, or lockjaw, any more thanks to the vaccination programme. Tetanus is a serious, sometimes fatal infection that affects the nerves. The tetanus germ lives in soil and dirt and can get into a cut or scratch easily. Animal bites and burns are risky too. The infection takes 21 days to emerge and symptoms include fever, a sore jaw, headache and muscle stiffness. Everyone should now be vaccinated against tetanus. Babies and children are given it with the diptheria and polio vaccine. It's repeated as a booster in teens.

For a full medical explanation of the causes, symptoms and treatments of tetanus from patient.co.uk, read on.

All children and adults should be immunised against tetanus. See your practice nurse if you think that you are not fully immunised.

What is tetanus?

Tetanus is an infection caused by a bacterium called Clostridium tetani which can attack the muscles and nervous system. Tetanus is a serious infection which can even be fatal. Tetanus bacteria (germs) live in the soil and dirt. The bacteria may get into your body through a cut or a wound in the skin. The bacteria make a toxin (poison) which causes the illness.

Even small wounds such as a prick from a thorn can allow enough bacteria to get into the body to cause tetanus. The illness takes up to 21 days to develop, sometimes more. Therefore, you may have forgotten about a small cut before the illness starts. Tetanus in the UK is uncommon but most cases occur in people over the age of 65 years who have not been immunised against tetanus as the immunisation was only routinely introduced in 1961.