Wells County District Health Unit issued the following announcement.
Vaccine-Preventable Disease Feature: TETANUS
What is tetanus?
Tetanus is a serious disease caused by a toxin (poison) made by bacteria. It causes painful muscle stiffness and can be deadly. When the tetanus bacteria invade the body, they produce a poison (toxin) that causes painful muscle contractions. Another name for tetanus is “lockjaw”. It often causes a person’s neck and jaw muscles to lock, making it hard to open the mouth or swallow.
Is it serious?
Tetanus is very dangerous. It can cause breathing problems, muscle spasms, and paralysis (unable to move parts of the body). Muscle spasms can be strong enough to break a child’s spine or other bones. It can take months to recover fully from tetanus. A child might need weeks of hospital care. As many as 1 out of 5 people who get tetanus dies.
Why should my child get a tetanus shot?
Protects your child from tetanus, which can be a serious disease, as well as diphtheria and whooping cough (pertussis).
Protects your child from painful muscle stiffness from tetanus.
Keeps your child from missing school or child care, and you from missing work.
More info: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/diseases/tetanus.html
Original source can be found here.
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