General Info about Tetanus

The master of a large ship mashed the index finger of his right hand with the anchor. Seven days later a somewhat foul discharge appeared; then trouble with his tongue--he complained he could not speak properly. The presence of tetanus was diagnosed, his jaws became pressed together, his teeth were locked, then symptoms appeared in his neck: on the third day opisthotonos appeared with sweating. Six days after the diagnosis was made he died. - Huth, Edward J.

Tetanus is an acute disease induced by a bacterium, Clostridium tetani, which exists in the gut of man, in domestic animals and is found in the soil. Infection enters the body through wounds - such as those causes by a splinter, nail in the boot or a garden fork or following septic infection such as a dirty abrasion. It's a serious condition as 1 in 10 will die due to the disease. It is more prone to young children, new borns and elderly population who are not immunized.

Published on Sep 06, 2014
Last Updated on Sep 06, 2014

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