Hesperian Health Guides
Tetanus (lockjaw)
Tetanus is a deadly infection that gets into a wound, and then spreads throughout the body.
Signs
- Tense and painful contractions of all the muscles.
- During contractions, breathing may stop.
- Extreme muscle spasms that come and go.
- Lockjaw (cannot open the mouth easily).
- Stiff neck and a stiff, board-hard belly.
Get medical help fast for these signs!
Prevention
Tetanus is much easier to prevent than to treat. Prevent by vaccinating all children against tetanus and carefully cleaning wounds so they do not get infected. Children need 3 doses of the tetanus vaccine as infants and then 3 booster vaccines later. Pregnant women need a tetanus vaccination unless they have had one recently.
Wounds most likely to develop tetanus
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- Animal bites, especially those of dogs and pigs.
- Puncture wounds (from thorns, splinters, nails, or other sharp objects).
- Gunshot wounds.
- Broken bones, when the bone pokes through the skin (open fractures).
- Severe burns or frostbite.
- Any procedure that cuts into the skin, using tools that have not been sterilized.
Deep or dirty wounds need special cleaning, care, and antibiotics. Unless the person had a tetanus vaccine within the past 5 years, they need one now and also an injection of
antitetanus immunoglobulin.
Newborn tetanus
Newborns can get infected with tetanus when unsterilized tools are used to cut the umbilical cord at birth, or when the cord stump is not kept clean and dry afterward. Cutting the cord with a sterilized blade, keeping the stump clean, and making sure the mother has an up-to-date tetanus vaccination protects the baby from tetanus at and right after birth.
If a newborn has signs of tetanus, get them medical help right away. If the hospital or health center is more than 2 hours away and you know how, give benzathine benzylpenicillin on the way.