Health Topics A-Z | 2007 Archive | 2006 Archive | 2005 Archive | 2004 Archive | 2003 Archive
A R T I C L E |
D A T E |
| Clinical Trials 101: Everything you wanted to know (but weren’t sure what to ask!) |
05-14-2008 |
| Baby Teeth 101: From Dental Tips to Tooth Fairy Tricks |
04-17-2008 |
| Smoking 101: What Happens When You Smoke, Puff by Puff? What Happens When You Quit, Breath by Breath? |
11-15-2007 |
| Doctors are from Venus;
Patients are from Mars How to be Heard |
06-06-2007 |
| Stem Cells 101 The what, why, where, when and how of today’s biggest scientific debate |
02-07-2007 |
| Teen Stress 101 | 11-29-2006 |
| Lab Tests 101 | 09-20-2006 |
| NSAIDs
101: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs |
02-01-2005 |
| Blood Pressure 101 Part Two |
08-31-2004 |
| Blood Pressure 101 Part One |
08-26-2004 |
| Thyroid Disorders 101: Screening is Key |
10-20-2003 |
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Tetanus booster for adults
Tetanus does not result from the rusty nail or whatever created the wound. The danger lies in the bacteria Clostridium tetani that lives in the soil or manure on that nail or gardening tool. When these spores get into a wound—deep or shallow—they can produce a potent toxin. Also called lockjaw, tetanus seriously affects the central nervous system and can be fatal.
Onset of symptoms can occur anytime from three days to three weeks. Call your health care provider if you have an open wound, particularly if:
Adults should have a tetanus booster shot every 10 years, known as the Td vaccine. It is a "2-in-1" vaccine that protects against tetanus and diphtheria. It contains a slightly different dose of diphtheria vaccine than what you received as a child. It can be given to anyone older than 7 years and is injected, usually into the arm.
Instead of the standard Td booster every 10 years, adults between the ages of 19 and 65 should receive Tdap one time in their adulthood to boost the immune system for pertussis, as well as tetanus and diphtheria.
Diphtheria, a contagious bacterial infection created that causes severe inflammation of the throat and larynx and can also affect the whole body. Pertussis or “whooping cough” is a serious bacterial infection that afflicted children and infants before vaccines were available. Adults may be infected later in life as their immunities wane. Neither of these infections are related to tetanus, but both vaccines are compatible and convenient to use with the tetanus booster.
