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 |
| YUCK! Poolside Parasites | 07-15-2008 |
| Online Love | 12-05-2007 |
| Singin' the West Nile Blues Clinical depression can strike West Nile Virus patients up to one year after infection, new research finds |
08-01-2007 |
| Practicing Magazine Medicine? Top women’s magazines skimp on health information, new study shows |
05-03-2007 |
| HIV and Pregnancy | 02-28-2007 |
| Stem Cells 101 The what, why, where, when and how of today’s biggest scientific debate |
02-07-2007 |
| Cruel Genes Tuberous Sclerosis Complex |
12-06-2006 |
| 'Spit' for a Cure “No cavities and no breast cancer. See you in six months. Don’t forget to floss.” |
11-08-2006 |
| Memory Research & Meditation | 11-01-2006 |
| Lab Tests 101 | 09-20-2006 |
| Can't Outrun the Gene But, family members at risk for abdominal aortic aneurysm may be able to head off disaster before it strikes thanks to genetic research |
09-06-2006 |
| Turning Up The Heat on Cancer New Thermal Therapy Show Promise Against Some Cancers |
04-21-2006 |
| Autopsy: The Inside Scoop | 10-30-2005 |
| Passing The New Acid Test | 05-10-2005 |
| I
Want My Epidural...Now! No more need to wait for epidurals say OB-GYNs |
05-06-2005 |
| Preeclampsia | 05-03-2005 |
| Over
Exposed? Teens, Sex and Mass Media |
02-18-2005 |
| New
Attack on Heart Attack Cardiologists, paramedics and ERs embark on a special research mission to save your life. |
02-15-2005 |
| NSAIDs
101: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs |
02-01-2005 |
| Color My World: Studying Synesthesia |
10-04-2004 |
| Catch Me If You Can The race is on between Man and mutating virus |
02-02-2004 |
| Kidney's Need Love, Too | 10-02-2003 |
| Cancer Foe, Cardiovascular Friend: P53 Pulls Double Duty |
09-23-2003 |
| Part II: Fat Chance |
08-28-2003 |
| Part I: Fat Chance |
08-25-2003 |
| Genetic Councelors: Those who light a darkened path... |
06-26-2003 |
| Constraint Leads to Freedom Increasing Mobility for Stroke Patients |
05-19-2003 |
Editorial Board | Legal Disclaimer | Privacy & Security | Contact Us
©2000-2006 Office of Institutional Advancement, UT-Houston
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.
