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Health Tip:

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:

You are injured outdoors
Have been bitten by an animal
The wound has been in contact with soil or manure
You have not received a tetanus booster (vaccine) within five years or you are not sure of your vaccination status.

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 is a contagious bacterial infection that causes severe inflammation of the throat and larynx. Pertussis or “whooping cough” is a serious bacterial infection that frequently 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.