Tetanus
Tetanus Fact Sheet (PDF
15 KB)
Tetanus is an acute, often
fatal, disease caused by a toxin (poison) produced by the bacterium
Clostridium tetani. It is characterized by generalized rigidity and severe
spasms of skeletal muscles.
C. tetani spores can be found in the soil and in the stool of many
household and farm animals and humans. The bacteria usually enter the human
body through a puncture in the skin.
In the late 1940s, there were 500-600 cases of tetanus reported per year
in the United States. After the introduction of the tetanus vaccine in the
mid-1940s, reported cases of tetanus dropped steadily. In 2003, only 20
cases were reported in the U.S.
Almost all cases of tetanus are in persons who have never been
vaccinated, or who completed their childhood series, but did not have a
booster dose in the preceding 10 years. |
