Tetanus, also known as lockjaw,
occurs when there is an infection of the body by a bacterium called clostridium
tetani. The main manifestation of this disease is known as muscle spasms. Muscle
spasm is described as a sudden contraction of one or more muscles, which occurs
without the persons control;
an example is the sudden closure of the mouth even
when you are making a conscious effort to keep it open. There is usually so
much pain in muscle spasm.
In tetanus, the most common type of spasms begins in the jaw and then
progress to the rest of the body. These spasms usually last a few minutes each
time and occur frequently for three to four weeks. Spasms may be so severe that
the bones could break. Other symptoms may include fever, sweating, headache, trouble
swallowing, high blood pressure, and a fast heart rate. Onset of symptoms is
typically three to twenty-one days following infection. It may take months to
recover. About 10% of those infected die.
Clostridium tetani, the bacterium that causes tetanus, is commonly found in soil, dust and
manure. The bacteria generally enter through a break in the skin such as a cut
or puncture wound by a contaminated object. These contaminated objects could be
rusted nails, metals, broomsticks used for sweeping and other sharp objects
that have come in contact with soil. The bacterium gets into the blood, and
starts producing harmful substances called toxins. These toxins cause the
muscle spasms. The disease does not spread between people.
There are currently no blood tests for diagnosing tetanus. The diagnosis is
based on the presentation of tetanus symptoms and does not depend upon
laboratory isolation of the bacterium, which is recovered from the wound in
only 30% of cases and can be isolated from patients without tetanus.
POWERFUL GUIDE TO PREVENTION OF TETANUS
Infection can be prevented by proper immunization with the tetanus vaccine.
Unlike many infectious diseases, recovery from naturally acquired tetanus does
not usually result in immunity to tetanus.
It is recommended that adults receive a booster vaccine every ten years. The
booster may not prevent a potentially fatal case of tetanus from the current
wound, however, as it can take up to two weeks for tetanus antibodies to form.
In children under the age of seven, the tetanus vaccine is often
administered as a combined vaccine, which also includes vaccines against diphtheria
and pertussis. For adults and children over seven, the Td vaccine (tetanus and
diphtheria) or Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis) is commonly
used.
Tetanus occurs in all parts of the world but is most frequent in hot and
wet climates where the soil contains a lot of organic matter. In 2013 it caused
about 59,000 deaths – down from 356,000 in 1990. Description of the disease by Hippocrates
exists from at least as far back as the 5th century BC. The cause of the
disease was determined in 1884 by Antonio Carle and Giorgio Rattone at the University
of Turin, with a vaccine being developed in 1924.
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