Tetanus is that dangerous disease we adults always associate with summer.
It’s not a coincidence.
The tetanus toxin can be introduced into our bodies through burns, splinters and deep puncture wounds.
Yes, that proverbial rusty nail going into a shoeless foot does come immediately to mind.
And the bacterial spores of the Clostridium tetani are found in mostly cultivated soil. Can anyone say summer gardening?
With kids running around without shoes and adults playing in the dirt, preventing tetanus should be top of mind next to wearing sunscreen on your summertime safety list.
“Kids are going through the woods or playing in areas where they are not usually,” said George Diaz, doctor of infectious diseases with Providence Regional Medical Center.
“There are more construction sites to play in and areas such as those have nails,” Diaz said.
Though tetanus can attach to burns and splinters, Diaz said that adults should be particularly leery, for themselves and their children, of any significant puncture wounds, especially those caused by a dirty object that has been outdoors or in the dirt.
“The rule of thumb is if you have a bad puncture, just get it checked out and looked at by a doc,” Diaz said.
Tetanus is taken up from the blood to the nerves and then moves into the spine. The disease can take anywhere from three to 21 days before the toxin begins to mess with the nerves, causing muscles to spasm and no longer relax.
Lockjaw is the classic, danger-sign symptom for tetanus but there’s no need to wait that long before seeking medical treatment.
“There is almost always some sort of wound or puncture,” Diaz said. “Rather than wait for tetanus based on symptoms, really see if there is any wound that has happened on the feet or on the hands.”
If you have children, they also might complain of a stiff neck or a firm tummy or be irritable or restless. In smaller kids, you might notice they have difficulty breathing or swallowing, Diaz said.
“Lockjaw is the most common manifestation where there’s muscle spasms and locking of the jaw,” Diaz said. “That’s a very serious thing and you need to go to a doctor.”
The way adults and children can help prevent tetanus is by receiving a vaccination.
The DTaP vaccine can be given to infants starting at 6 weeks of age for a total of five doses between 6 weeks and 7 years of age.
Adults need a booster vaccine every 10 years.
Though the disease is rare in the United States, Diaz saw a recent case of tetanus when a man had to be hospitalized and human tetanus immunoglobulin injected into his spinal cord.
The man had been suffering symptoms but he was not someone who had much human contact and lived primarily in the woods when the tetanus struck.
“It’s not something that happens very often so this was a pretty bad thing,” Diaz said. “It is not very fun and potentially could be deadly.”
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.
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