Tetanus Vaccine

Tetanus is a serious bacterial disease that affects the nervous system, leading to painful muscle contractions, particularly of the jaw and neck muscles. Tetanus can interfere with your ability to breathe and can threaten your life. Signs and symptoms of tetanus appear anytime from a few days to several weeks after tetanus bacteria enter your body through a wound.

Common symptoms of tetanus include spasms and stiffness in the jaw muscles (trismus), stiffness of your neck muscles, difficulty swallowing, stiffness of the abdominal muscles and painful body spasms lasting for several minutes, typically triggered by minor occurrences, such as a draft, loud noise, physical touch or light.

There's no cure for tetanus. Treatment focuses on managing complications until the effects of the tetanus toxin resolve.

Who should get vaccinated:

• Women of childbearing age
• Adults whose tetanus shots are not up to date

It protects against:

• Tetanus

Special notes

Included in pentavalent vaccine for babies.

Five doses are recommended with booster doses every 10 years.