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Diphtheria and tetanus is an infectious disease that poses a direct threat to human life. Death occurs due to severe damage to the nervous system. The vaccine helps prevent the development of this pathology and save the lives of both adults and children.
Diphtheria and tetanus affect unvaccinated people. Therefore, there should be no doubt about the vaccination of children. Only vaccination can save the life of an infected person.
Why should you get a tetanus shot?
The tetanus vaccine is included in the list of mandatory vaccinations that are listed in the national calendar. The fact is that, despite the successes of modern medicine, it was not possible to get rid of the infection.
Information everyone should know about tetanus:
The causative agent of the disease can exist both in the human body and in the intestines of animals. Together with feces, it enters the reservoir and into the soil. This increases the likelihood of infection when the skin is injured.
The bacterium is represented by a gram-positive rod. When it gets into unfavorable conditions for it, it transforms into disputes. In this form, the causative agent of infection can exist for about 100 years. Spores are not afraid of low temperatures, they survive when water is boiled for 3 hours, microbes feel great in the soil.
If a person once had tetanus, then a natural defense is formed in him, which lasts throughout his life. The second time a person can not get sick.
Tetanus leads to the death of children in 96% of cases, adults die in 16-80% of cases.
When should the vaccine be given?
DTP is the vaccine that protects a person from tetanus. In addition to tetanus toxoids, it includes protection against diphtheria and whooping cough. The vaccine is included in the national vaccination calendar. The plan for children and adults is different.
Vaccination of children
Children DPT put 5 times. After that, the child develops a strong immunity to the disease. He will protect it for 10 years.
Age at which a child should be vaccinated against tetanus:
3 months.
4.5 months.
6 months.
1.5 year.
6-7 years.
To maintain immunity at the required level, vaccination must be repeated every 10 years. The first time a teenager is revaccinated at 14 or 16 years old.
Administering the vaccine to adults
For adults, the tetanus vaccine is given according to the Order of the MYFF No. 174 of May 17, 1999. Age at which a person should receive the next vaccination:
In the period of 18-27 years.
In the period of 28-37 years.
In the period of 48-57 years.
People over the age of 58 get the vaccine every 10 years.
If a person has been vaccinated before, then every 10 years he is given tetanus toxoid in the amount of 1 dose. If he did not receive vaccination, then he is given 2 doses of the drug with an interval of 1 month. The next vaccination will be delivered in 10 years.
The following categories of citizens are required to be vaccinated:
Students.
Serving in the army.
Builders.
Workers on the railroad.
Diggers.
In addition, if a person lives in an area that is epidemiologically unfavorable for tetanus, then he is vaccinated without fail.
Contraindications to vaccination against diphtheria and tetanus
There are not many contraindications to the introduction of the tetanus vaccine, since it does not lead to serious complications. An absolute ban is the introduction of the vaccine to those persons who have previously developed anaphylactic shock or Quincke’s edema, as well as severe neurological lesions. Other contraindications are temporary, after which the vaccine can be delivered.
These include:
Allergy in the acute phase. It can be diathesis, eczema, bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis, household allergies, food allergies.
Chronic diseases in the acute stage, for example, lung pathologies, immunodeficiency states, etc.
An increase in body temperature above normal values.
Breastfeeding period, pregnancy.
Allergy is multifactorial.
If the baby was born before the due date, he will still need to receive a tetanus shot, as this is not a contraindication. Children and adults who suffer from allergies are vaccinated under the guise of antihistamine drugs. They are accepted or introduced in advance. After the vaccine is given, antihistamines continue to be taken for a few more days.
Urgent vaccination
If it is not known when a person was given a tetanus vaccine and whether he received it at all, but there was an emergency situation associated with the risk of infection, then the patient is given an emergency vaccination. Also, the vaccine is given on the condition that more than 5 years have passed since its last introduction.
Emergency vaccination is carried out in the following cases:
Extensive burns and frostbite.
Wounds: chopped, stab wounds, gunshot wounds.
Bites from wild and domestic animals.
Purulent wounds.
Operations performed on the stomach or intestines.
Births that were carried out at home, or happened outside the hospital ward.
Criminal abortion suffered by a woman.
Vaccination of pregnant women
In the 1st and 2nd trimester of pregnancy, the tetanus vaccine is not administered to women. However, during an emergency operation, an anti-tetanus drug is prescribed without fail. Vaccination is carried out not with the use of standard vaccinations, but with the use of immunoglobulins.
If a woman is at the stage of pregnancy planning, then the vaccine is administered to her at least 30 days before the upcoming conception. This will provide the newborn child with antibodies that he will receive from the mother. They will circulate in his blood for the first 2 months of life. When less than 5 years have passed since the last tetanus vaccine was given, there is no need to administer the vaccine.
Provided that childbirth takes place in areas unfavorable for tetanus, revaccinate pregnant women 2 weeks before the upcoming delivery.
What can and cannot be done after vaccination?
After the vaccine is delivered, antibodies will begin to be produced in the body. They will protect the person from disease. Revaccination stimulates the production of antibodies. A single dose administered does not provide reliable protection,
Therefore, repeated administration of the vaccine at certain time intervals is required. The production of immunoglobulins in the body can lead to certain reactions on its part, so you need to follow the recommendations given by the doctor.
Prohibited:
One day before the vaccine and 3 days after its administration, alcohol should not be consumed.
It is not recommended to eat foods that can cause an allergic reaction: all citrus fruits, honey, fish and seafood, confectionery and pastries, chocolate, coffee and cocoa, sweet soda.
Within 3 days, a person should not play sports or put too much stress on the body.
It is forbidden to visit the sauna and bath, you can not go to the pool.
You should refrain from going to crowded places, for example, to a clinic, a store, a theater, etc.
After the vaccine has been given, the following actions are permissible:
You can take a shower.
You can apply a sterile bandage to the injection site.
You can take allergy medications.
You need to stick to a light diet: drink as much water as possible, eat fresh vegetables and fruits, cereals, dairy products.
Vaccination reaction
The body reacts to the introduction of any vaccine, as antibodies begin to be intensively produced in it. This process is especially active after the first vaccination in life. Although the tetanus vaccine is not highly reactive, certain manifestations can still occur. If they do not pose a threat to life, then this is considered a variant of the norm. Most patients tolerate the tetanus shot easily.
Local reactions may be as follows:
Redness of the skin area where the injection was made.
The appearance of a seal at the injection site.
Bump formation.
After a few days, all reactions will pass on their own, no special measures need to be taken. In addition to these symptoms, a person may experience a slight increase in body temperature, sometimes lethargy, weakness increase, and drowsiness occurs. This happens for the following reasons:
The vaccine hurts. After the injection is given, pain may be felt in the injection area. Normally, after 2-3 days, all discomfort disappears on its own. Pain occurs due to the ingestion of the vaccine into fatty tissue. The drug penetrates into the blood slowly, resulting in an inflammatory reaction, which is expressed by local fever, pain and swelling. If the pain causes severe discomfort, you can take a drug from the NSAID group, for example, Ibuprofen or Indomethacin.
The hand hurts. The arm hurts after an injection in the shoulder or under the shoulder blade. This is due to the penetration of the drug into the subcutaneous tissue. The vaccine contains aluminum hydroxide, which causes inflammation. When the drug is completely dissolved, the pain will pass. To speed up this process, you can apply troxevasin ointment to the injection site, as well as take NSAIDs.
A lump is formed. Since there is not an abundance of blood vessels in the area where the vaccine is administered, the drug will not dissolve instantly. Therefore, its introduction is accompanied by the formation of a seal. This is normal. The vaccine will enter the bloodstream slowly, which will ensure the proper formation of immunity. If the entire dose of the drug immediately dissolves in the blood, the body will simply destroy it and the person will be left without protection. The time of complete resorption of the vaccine, and hence the bumps, takes 1-2 months.
The muscle is swollen. The swelling is due to inflammation at the local level. The skin turns red, swells, slightly sore. The area of redness should not exceed 8 cm in diameter, and the size of the bump should not exceed 2 cm.
The body temperature rises. Body temperature can reach 39,5 °C. It should be stored no more than 3 days. If body temperature rises above 40°C, medical attention should be sought. Such a reaction is hypertoxic and is dangerous.
Rarely, but still, reactions such as: bronchitis, rhinitis, pharyngitis can occur. A blood test may reveal leukopenia and agranulocytosis. On the part of the cardiovascular system, disorders such as increased heart rate may occur. In some patients, salivation increases, vomiting and nausea develop, and the stool becomes liquid.
The most rare reactions of the body include convulsions, loss of speech and partial paralysis.
Complications
Complications can occur after a tetanus shot. There are two variants of their course: according to the immediate type and according to the delayed type. In the first case, a person develops an allergic reaction, manifested by skin itching and urticaria, Quincke’s edema, or anaphylactic shock may occur. In the second case, the patient has intestinal dysbacteriosis and serum sickness. The reaction of the delayed type is due to a violation of the rules of asepsis during the injection, or improper storage of the vaccine itself.
Abscess or phlegmon. This complication is manifested in intense pain, in an increase in body temperature and the onset of symptoms of intoxication.
Neuritis. Neuritis is a consequence of getting the vaccine into the nerve. In a person, the work of internal organs, which are innervated due to the affected nerve, is disrupted. The arm, thigh, shoulder blade may hurt, limb movements are difficult.
Answers to popular questions
Why does tetanus cause death? There are several reasons for the death of patients – a fracture of the spinal column, cessation of cardiac activity, suffocation.
What are the complications of tetanus? Complications include: convulsions with bone fractures, bronchitis, pneumonia, lung atelectasis, sepsis, compression and deformity of the spine.
What are the types of vaccines? During the routine vaccination, the DTP vaccine (whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus), ADS (diphtheria and tetanus), ADS-M (a small dose of the drug for tetanus and diphtheria), Infanrix (tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough, the vaccine is made in Belgium), Tetracoccus (the vaccine is supplemented with a polio drug, it is produced in France). If an emergency vaccine is required, then the AC preparation is used, that is, tetanus toxoid.
How long does it take to fully recover from tetanus? 45 to 60 days.
If parents refuse to give their child a tetanus shot, can they be forced to do so? No, if the parents write a refusal in writing, then the child is not vaccinated.
Are adults vaccinated against tetanus for a fee? Where can it be placed? The vaccination is free, it is done in any medical institution, for example, in a FAP or a polyclinic at the place of residence.
What is the prognosis for tetanus? The prognosis is largely determined by the form of the disease, if it is generalized, then the prognosis is unfavorable. Also important is the duration of the incubation period, the shorter it is, the worse. If the infection has a mild course, then the person is completely restored from the disease. With a fulminant course of tetanus, patients most often die.