What is it and how do we get it:
Tetanus bacteria can survive for a long time outside the body, and are commonly found in soil and the manure (dump) of animals such as horses and cows. This Bacteria enters the body through a wound, cuts and scrapes tears or splits in the skin, burns, animal bites, body piercings, tattoos and injections, eye injuries, injecting contaminated drugs. Tetanus can't be spread from person to person.The symptoms of tetanus start after around 10 days after exposure.
Symptoms of Tetanus:
The main symptoms include: stiffness in your jaw muscles (lockjaw), which can make opening your mouth difficult, painful muscle spasms, which can make breathing and swallowing difficult, a high temperature of 38C or a rapid heartbeat.
Left untreated, the symptoms can get worse over the following hours and days. If you develop symptoms of tetanus, you'll usually need to be admitted to a hospital intensive care unit (ICU), where you may be given a number of different treatments. These could include tetanus immunoglobulin, antibiotics, and medication to relieve muscle stiffness and spasms.
Childhood/ Routine Immunization program in the United Kingdom:
It is given in Five doses – the first when the child is 8 weeks (part of 6 in 1 injection), 12 weeks (part of 6 in 1 injection), 16 weeks (part of 6 in 1 injection), 3-8 years (part of 4 in 1 injection) and at 14 years (part of 3 in 1 injection). Tetanus vaccine is usually given in combination of other vaccines such as Diphtheria (bacteria) and Polio (Virus).
Travellers going to destinations with Tetanus outbreaks:
| Travellers who had 5 full doses before and you received the last dose less than 10 years ago | You are good to go |
| Travellers who had 5 full doses before and you received the last dose more than 10 years ago | You are good to go but depending on destination you might want to have a booster |
| Travellers who had less than 5 doses before | Should have an extra dose before departure |
| Travellers not sure if they had any doses before | They should be given 1 dose before departure |
Inclusion and Exclusion list:
For patients above age of 6. There are inclusion and exclusion list that will be discussed with you during your appointment. You will be asked to fill in an assessment form with all your vaccination history details as well as any medical condition. Also we will go through any allergic reactions you might have. You can download the form here or you can fill it in during your appointment.
Name of the Vaccines subject to availabilities:
| Name of the Vaccine | Type of Vaccine | Schedule (see notes above) | Price per schedule including consultation |
| Revaxis | Mixture of Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Inactivated Polio Virus (IPV) | 1 dose | £32 |
Side effects:
The most common side effects are local reactions (pain, erythema, induration and oedema) within 48 hours after vaccination, and persisting for 1-2 days. Very common (more than 1 in 10 persons) As above also pain, redness, hardening of the skin, swelling of the nodule, Dizziness (vertigo), feeling sick and being sick, headache.
Please visit http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/destinations.aspx, after putting your destinations, this website will advise you which vaccines are needed. This website is regularly updated and is authorised by NHS.
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