TETANUS-Death Around The Corner!

Now that you have your newborn baby, one of your biggest tasks is ensuring that the baby stays free of disease and infection. Your baby should grow up into a strong and healthy person. You can ensure this by giving your child adequate nutrition, having him immunised against certain diseases, preventing other diseases and treating any possible infections.

One of the vaccines that your child gets is the tetanus vaccine. This vaccine is given at 6, 10 and 14 weeks, as part of the Pentavalent vaccines. Tetanus is the only vaccine-preventable disease that is not communicable (meaning it is not contagious or transmitted from one person to another).

What is tetanus?

Tetanus is a disease caused by toxins produced by the bacteria Clostridium tetani. This micro-organism can live for years in soil and animal faeces. The bacteria itself does not cause the disease, but carries and releases toxins that cause the disease.

Tetanus is commonly referred to as lockjaw disease because it causes stiffening of the jaws. The disease causes one to have spasms either at the infected site, or general spasms of the whole body. A spasm is an involuntary muscular contraction.

How do babies get infected?

Tetanus in babies is referred to as neonatal tetanus. The bacteria Clostridium tetani that result in tetanus find their way into the body through a cut or wound that gets contaminated with substances containing the bacteria.

Newborn babies can get infected with the bacteria via the umbilicus (also known as the umbilical cord stump) which is the protrusion that remains once the umbilical cord has been cut off and clipped. Some communities apply cow dung to the stump believing it promotes healing. Ironically, cow dung acts as a source of bacteria that finds its way into the baby’s system. Neonatal tetanus is rated among the major causes of infant deaths.

A newborn may also become infected if the knife, razor or other instrument used to cut its umbilical cord is dirty. Other causes include use of dirty material to dress the cord or if the hands of the person delivering the baby are not clean.

Another source of bacteria could be use of dirty baby towels to wipe off bruises, for instance wet clothes rinsed with dirty water, run-off water or contaminated river water.

Infants and children may also contract tetanus when dirty instruments are used for circumcision, and skin piercing, for instance for earrings.

A crawling baby may get bruised and contract the bacteria, as may a baby who falls and bruised a part of the body.

Bathing a bruised baby in dirty or contaminated water may lead to bacteria entering the body system through the lesion (open wound).

What are the symptoms of tetanus?

Once infected, toxins find their way into the nervous system, the brain, the spinal cord and the skeletal muscles. The symptoms vary depending on how far the infected site is, from the central nervous system – that is, the brain and the spinal cord. Symptoms appear five to ten days after infection has occurred. The most common symptom is stiffening of the jaws.

Other symptoms are: Restlessness; Difficulty in swallowing; Irritability; Headache; Fever; Sore throat; Chills; Muscle spasms; Stiff neck, arms and legs.

As the disease progresses, there is difficulty in opening the jaws. Because of the spasms of the facial muscles, the infected person appears to have a fixed smile and raised eyebrows. Minor disturbances such as noise or shrill sounds, produce painful muscle spasms and profuse sweating. When a child gets general spasms of the whole body, she cannot cry or speak. This is because the muscles of the throat and voice box have become rigid. This prevents normal breathing, and may cause suffocation and eventually death.

On the other hand, mild forms of tetanus are limited to the muscles around the infected wound.

What can you do to prevent tetanus?

Every pregnant mother should ensure that she is immunised against tetanus, during every pregnancy. The immunisation schedule may be as follows:

1st dose: As early as possible during the first pregnancy.

2nd dose: Four weeks after the first dose.

3rd dose: Six months after the second dose or in the subsequent pregnancy.

4th dose: One year after the third dose or in the subsequent pregnancy.

5th dose: One year after the fourth dose or in the subsequent pregnancy.

o Use only spirit to clean the baby’s navel. It is in form of cotton swabs, and is normally given in hospitals upon discharge.

o Take the baby for all immunisations and follow the schedule as required.

o Take the child to hospital for a tetanus injection if there is any injury or open wound.

o Clean practises are especially important when a mother is delivering a child, even if she has been immunised.

o Remember that you also need a booster vaccine dose in case you are injured. Clean any wounds and apply an antiseptic or antibiotic ointment.

What are the life-threatening complications of tetanus?

o Fractures of the spine or other bones may occur as a result of muscle spasms and convulsions.

o Abnormal heartbeats and coma may occur.

END: BL 06/60-61