Tetanus is a chronic disease your doctor will associate with Clostridium tetani. These bacteria live in manure, dust, and soil. If these bacteria entered your body through contaminated wound, they can release toxin into your blood stream, resulting in painful spasms and muscular contractions, particularly neck and jaw muscles.
Once the bacteria infected your blood, it will take around 10 days for the symptoms to appear. Antitoxin is the most common treatment for tetanus. The absence of prompt medical treatment cause around 2% of tetanus-infected people to face death each year in Australia.
Symptoms
- Neck stiffness
- Jaw stiffness and spasms
- Sweating
- Fever
- Difficulty swallowing
- Rapid heart rate
- High blood pressure
Prevention as Suggested by Unanderra Family Doctors
As your Unanderra Doctor would tell you, vaccination provides the best prevention against tetanus. In any case you have not received full vaccination or booster dose, please seek urgent medical attention if you have a tetanus-prone wound. Your Unanderra Doctor would also recommend you taking regular injections before traveling overseas if you have not had a tetanus booster within the last 10 years.
Two types of tetanus vaccine available today: diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis and diphtheria-tetanus vaccines. Both of them are available for adults and adolescents.
One of our friendly customer care representatives should be able to assist you to get further information. Please make an appointment today and come into our Unanderra Doctor mixed billing General Medical Practice and Surgery to discuss how we can help.
