A 13-year-old girl has been in a medically induced coma for a month due to tetanus. This was reported by the Center for Children's Medicine of the "OKHMATDYT" hospital in Lviv. According to doctors, the girl was not vaccinated against this disease. The girl has been in a medically induced coma for a month in a stable serious condition. Before that, her condition was extremely serious.
Without medical care, the probability of death from tetanus is almost 100%. Even with medical care, the risk of death from tetanus is quite high - from 10 to 70%, depending on the treatment, the age of the affected person, and their general health. More than 160,000 people die from tetanus every year in the world.
So doctors once again remind us of the importance of tetanus vaccination. This is the ONLY and RELIABLE protection against this dangerous disease!
Children are vaccinated for the first time at the age of 2 months, then at 4 and 6 months. Revaccination is carried out at 6 and 16 years. Then the tetanus vaccine is administered every 10 years for the entire adult population.
Vaccination will help to avoid such a serious, life-threatening disease as tetanus. Tetanus spores are quite resistant in the external environment. As soon as there is minimal damage to the skin, a wound is formed - those spores penetrate, secrete toxins, and affect the nervous system. Dangerous convulsions can lead to death.
Tetanus is a disease transmitted by contact with spores of the bacteria Clostridium tetani, which live in soil and the intestinal tract of animals.
The disease is transmitted by contact, as well as through open wounds in the form of cuts, burns, frostbite, splinters, bedsores, bites on the skin, and damage to human mucous membranes.
Infection most often occurs through minor household injuries and foot wounds. This disease is not transmitted from person to person.
Symptoms of tetanus:
- jaw clenching; muscle spasms – often in the stomach;
- painful tension throughout the body; problems with swallowing;
- «"staring" of the eyes; headache;
- fever and excessive sweating;
- change in blood pressure and rapid heartbeat;
- uncontrolled/involuntary contraction of the vocal cord muscles (laryngospasm);
- brittle bones; difficulty breathing.
Complications that tetanus can cause:
- blockage of the main or one of the small branches of the pulmonary artery by a blood clot (pulmonary embolism);
- pneumonia, lung infection.
Tetanus can lead to death.
The only way to protect yourself from tetanus is vaccination. Immunity after the disease is not formed, and there is a possibility of re-infection, so vaccination is necessary, even if you have been sick. In the absence of vaccination (revaccination) against tetanus or if you do not remember the date of the last vaccination, in case of injury, emergency prophylaxis is carried out. It is especially important for any wounds in conditions of heavy contamination, animal bites, wounds with a foreign body, deep puncture wounds. The need for emergency prophylaxis is determined by a doctor - a traumatologist, surgeon.
Therefore, if the above risk factors are present, it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible to treat the wound and decide on the need for vaccination against tetanus.
By refusing vaccination, you are putting your life and health at risk.
Department of Epidemiological Surveillance (Observation) and Prevention of Infectious Diseases
Chuguyiv branch of the State Institution "Kharkiv Central Regional Center for the Prevention of Diseases" of the Ministry of Health