Where to get a tetanus shot?

Written by Ai Bing Quan
General Surgery
Updated on November 20, 2024
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Tetanus can be treated in any department, but generally, after an injury, one would first go to the emergency room. Therefore, tetanus is very common in emergency medicine. Tetanus is a type of anaerobic bacterium that is ubiquitous in nature. If a person has a wound that is small and deep, the internal environment can become anaerobic, which easily leads to rapid proliferation of tetanus. At this point, it is necessary to inject tetanus immunoglobulin into such wounds. It is best done within 24 hours because after a long period, the tetanus bacillus might have already proliferated in the wound. A skin test should be performed before the injection, and the injection can only proceed if the skin test is negative. If the wound is relatively large and severe, it generally will not be infected by tetanus bacillus.

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Written by Xu Jun Hui
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Can I take a bath after getting a tetanus shot?

It's not recommended to take a bath immediately after receiving a tetanus shot. First, the wound requiring a tetanus shot may either be deep, heavily contaminated, or relatively large. After receiving a tetanus shot in the buttocks or the deltoid muscle of the upper arm, it is essential to enhance wound dressing changes and keep the wound dry, which is why bathing is not advised. If it's just a simple tetanus injection site, it can generally be exposed to water a few hours later. However, other wounds on the body should be kept dry. Therefore, it is better to take a bath when wounds on other parts of the body have healed well to avoid worsening infections and delaying healing.

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Written by Li Jin Quan
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Can tetanus be cured?

Tetanus is a curable disease. It is usually caused by an infection with the tetanus bacillus, which produces a specific infection in the human body. Clinically, it is mainly manifested as muscle tension and rigidity, with the primary symptoms being difficulty opening the mouth, a sardonic smile, neck stiffness, and opisthotonos. In severe cases, it can lead to respiratory confusion, respiratory arrest, or cardiac arrest. Therefore, patients with tetanus should go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible. With standardized and systematic treatment, the vast majority of patients can be cured.

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Written by Li Jin Quan
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tetanus early symptoms

Tetanus is an infection caused by Clostridium tetani, which enters the body through broken skin or mucous membranes and thrives in an anaerobic environment, producing toxins. Clinically, tetanus is characterized by lockjaw, episodic spasms, and rigid spasms, primarily affecting the muscles such as the masseter, latissimus dorsi, abdominal muscles, and limb muscles. Early symptoms of tetanus infection include general weakness, dizziness, headache, weak chewing, localized muscle tightness, pulling pain, and heightened reflexes.

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Written by Ma Xian Shi
General Surgery
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How long does it take for tetanus to develop?

Tetanus is an acute, specific infection caused by the invasion of Clostridium tetani into a human wound, where it grows and reproduces, producing toxins. Tetanus is a Gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming bacillus that is widely present in the external environment. Tetanus occurs only when tetanus bacillus grows and reproduces locally in a wound and produces exotoxins, which are the cause of the disease. The toxins of tetanus include spasm toxin and hemolysin. The incubation period of tetanus generally ranges from six to ten days. In some cases, it can occur within 24 hours or take as long as 20 to 30 days, or even months, particularly following the removal of foreign bodies or shrapnel. Neonatal tetanus generally occurs seven days after umbilical cord separation, clinically also known as the "seven-day wind." Generally, the shorter the duration of the incubation period or prodromal symptoms, the more severe the symptoms and the higher the mortality rate.

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Written by Tang Da Wei
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How deep is a tetanus wound?

There is no clear boundary concerning how deep a wound needs to be to carry a risk of tetanus; mainly, it depends on whether the conditions allow for anaerobic bacteria to thrive. Particularly, wounds that are very small on the surface but deep can lead to substantial proliferation of tetanus bacilli. A common example is a foot wound caused by stepping on a nail, where the exterior opening of the wound is small, but it is deep inside, and the nail surface may be rusty and also carry a large amount of tetanus bacilli. If the wound is not promptly and thoroughly cleaned, it can lead to massive growth of tetanus bacilli, resulting in the onset of severe illness in the patient.