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childhood diseases -
tetanus
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VACCINATIONS
YES OR NO ? |
Tetanus (or lockjaw) is
an infectious bacterial disease that affects the nervous system. It is
caused when an open cut is contaminated by tetanus bacteria. These
bacteria are found in the soil, in animal faeces, in the dust and dirt
of towns and cities, in gravel and in rusty metal. As mentioned, the
bacteria enter your child’s body through cuts and gashes. However
tetanus cannot live in oxygen so the wound has to be deep or dirty for
the bacteria to get a hold – and the deeper and dirtier the cut, the
more dangerous. Your child will suffer symptoms any time from four to
twenty-five days after infection. He will have stiff muscles, first in
his jaw (hence the name lockjaw) then his neck and back, followed by
his chest, abdomen and limbs. He will often suffer a high fever and
convulsions, and will be in extreme pain. If your child is left
untreated, the death rate is high, but prompt treatment with
penicillin and an anti-toxin is effective.
Tetanus is very rare in developed countries.
What is the treatment
for tetanus?
If tetanus is
diagnosed, your child should go to hospital, where a booster injection
of anti-tetanus vaccine will be given. If the disease is not
successfully treated at this stage, your child is given large doses of
antibiotics and anti-toxins and kept under sedation. He may have to be
in intensive care and on a respirator for several weeks. With the
right treatment most children recover from tetanus. |