dancer67 Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 My 11 yo is due for her 2nd Tetanus shot In October. Last one was 10 years ago. We did vax all of our children, but now I am very leary of immunizations. Should I have her get the shot? Is it dangerous if I don't? Have any of you opted out of this vax? And if so, why? I am not looking for a pro/con immunization debate. Just information on the Tetanus. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Tetanus is the one vax I would never skip. Unless she had a reaction to the first one, I would recommend you get her the booster. Tetanus isn't a disease that has been almost eradicated like Polio, or smallpox, etc. It is too easy to step on a rusty nail, and then contract tetanus. JMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Tetanus is the one vax I would never skip. Unless she had a reaction to the first one, I would recommend you get her the booster. Tetanus isn't a disease that has been almost eradicated like Polio, or smallpox, etc. It is too easy to step on a rusty nail, and then contract tetanus. JMHO :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 yes, we keep up to date with tetanus, even myself. I get spider bites a lot and my doctor always checks that i am up to date with my tetanus shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Actually just had 2 done this past month. If we never had them, or had reactions, I would not, but since we're not in either category, we did it. I did skip the HPV and the meningitis. I was leary, but decided to go with the chicken pox booster too...still leary, but haven't had any adverse reactions thusfar. Honestly, vacs. make me nervous, but our contact with the population at large makes me nervous too...so many illnesses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Tetanus is the one vax I would never skip. Unless she had a reaction to the first one, I would recommend you get her the booster. Tetanus isn't a disease that has been almost eradicated like Polio, or smallpox, etc. It is too easy to step on a rusty nail, and then contract tetanus. JMHO :iagree: And while you're at it, remember to boost yours as well if it's been more than 10 yrs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Keep in mind, it's done as a combo. If you prefer, you should be able to get her just tetanus, or just TD (Tetanus/Diptheria), and skip the aP (acellular Pertussis), assuming a Pertussis booster is part of the standard 11yo.'s shot (I don't remember). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova147 Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Check out The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears. It is neither pro- nor anti- vaccine. It just tells you about all the diseases we vaccinate against - what they are, how serious etc. And about the vaccines - what's in them, reactions, etc. He does include his opinion about the relative importance of each vaccine. At the end of the book he has suggestions for parents who choose not to vaccinate. It's a fabulous resource! From the book. "(Tetanus) causes paralysis throughout the body." "(Tetanus) has a 15 percent fatality rate." If you get a deep, dirty wound (most common source of tetanus in the US) and are not vaccinated, a vaccine can be given at that time, but will not be as effective as previous vaccination. You can also get a shot of tetanus immune globlin (derived from blood of people with antibodies. But neither of these actually cures tetanus - it still has to run it's course which can take several weeks, during which time the patient may need life support. (This is my distillation of a couple of paragraphs.) If you get a tetanus vaccine, you have lots of choices - it is often combined with diphtheria and pertussis shots. There is an option for just tetanus vaccine. There is a small amount of mercury in this shot (less than 0.3 micrograms. But there is also a tetanus vaccine (stored in a multi-shot vial) with 25 micrograms of mercury. So if you're concerned about mercury, be sure the doctor gives your child the single vial dose of tetanus vaccine. Hope this helps. I really do recommend reading the book, as this is not the only vaccination decision you will be faced with -- current recommendations are for Tdap, menengococal and HPV (for girls) at age 12. Check your library (or just go read it at a book store - you can cover the relevant sections in half an hour). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgm Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Tetanus will be recommended in the event of an animal bite; we keep current on these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer67 Posted September 29, 2009 Author Share Posted September 29, 2009 Okay, I did some reading up on this, so it looks like we will go ahead with the vax for her. She was fine the last time(but she was only a year old or so then I think) She is going to scream her head off. I think I will have daddy take her. LOL.......... I have not had a tetanus shot since 1982. I had a very bad reaction to it then, and I have not, nor will I plan on getting one any time soon!!!(Not to mention they hurt like the dickens!!) Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgilli3 Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Tetanus will be recommended in the event of an animal bite; we keep current on these. This happened to me recently. I received a nasty bite from an injured stray cat I was trying to help ( ouch!) I rinsed wound and went to bed and in the morning my thumb was HUGE and extremely painful. Decided to make a trip to my local hospital. I ended up having a tetanus booster shot ( it had been close to 15 years since my last shot- thanks to a rusty fishing hook in the hand), and also antibiotic shot and meds and 4 weeks of visiting the hospital for rabies shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 After checking the tetanus incidence in our area and the soil levels (it is not in all areas) my son did not get a tetanus vaccine. Check you local area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 A little girl who lived near my grandma when she was a child died a slow and gruesome death of lockjaw, so she says, so I've always kept up to date on mine....I step on stuff and cut myself with metal things all the time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Okay, I did some reading up on this, so it looks like we will go ahead with the vax for her. She was fine the last time(but she was only a year old or so then I think) She is going to scream her head off. I think I will have daddy take her. LOL.......... I have not had a tetanus shot since 1982. I had a very bad reaction to it then, and I have not, nor will I plan on getting one any time soon!!!(Not to mention they hurt like the dickens!!) Thanks! If you want to help with the pain, you can give her ibuprofen or Tylenol before she goes. Send her with a lollipop to be sucked on during the shot. Both the sucking and the distraction of the flavor help with the perception of pain. You can likely get one free at the health dept. if you wanted to check into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 we do Tetanus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 This is one that our pediatric neurologist insisted the kids get, even as he refused to let them get the MMR for several years. You do not mess around with tetanus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nata Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 (edited) After checking the tetanus incidence in our area and the soil levels (it is not in all areas) my son did not get a tetanus vaccine. Check you local area. :iagree:Tetanus is most abundant in horse manure. Before cars were widespread, a lot of people had contact with it. Now, not so much. Tetanus is a core vaccine for horses, but not so for cats and dogs. Here is a quote that might put some more light on this from the AAEP.org website: Clostridium tetani organisms are present in the intestinal tract and feces of horses, other animals and humans, and are abundant as well as ubiquitous in soil. Spores of Cl. tetani survive in the environment for many years, resulting in an ever-present risk of exposure of horses and people on equine facilities. Tetanus is not a contagious disease but is the result of Cl. tetani infection of puncture wounds (particularly those involving the foot or muscle), open lacerations, surgical incisions, exposed tissues such as the umbilicus of foals and reproductive tract of the postpartum mare (especially in the event of trauma or retained placenta ). Edited October 1, 2009 by nata Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Tetanus is the one vax I would never skip. Unless she had a reaction to the first one, I would recommend you get her the booster. Tetanus isn't a disease that has been almost eradicated like Polio, or smallpox, etc. It is too easy to step on a rusty nail, and then contract tetanus. JMHO:iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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