Concerns Rise Over Increasing Tetanus Cases Amid Vaccination Declines
As healthcare professionals observe a rise in tetanus infections, commonly known as lockjaw, concerns grow over the disease’s severe symptoms and the cost of treatment. Tetanus, which can cause painful muscle spasms, breathing difficulties, and a clenched jaw that resembles a smile, typically appears within three to 21 days after exposure.
“It looks terrible,” remarked Dr. Mobeen Rathore, chief of pediatric infectious diseases and immunology at the University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville.
The tetanus bacteria thrive in environments like soil and manure, and infections often result from puncture wounds. Treatment can be both lengthy and financially burdensome. A 6-year-old boy in Oregon, who was not vaccinated, faced medical expenses nearing $1 million after contracting the disease in 2019, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Rathore emphasized the stark contrast between the cost of vaccines and intensive care. “It’s not even pennies to dollars; it’s pennies to hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he stated. “It’s very expensive.”
A recent case involved a 9-year-old patient in Florida, unvaccinated, who exhibited muscle spasms. Dr. Rathore recalled the isolated tetanus wards from his training, where even minimal noise could trigger spasms. “The slightest noise would cause many of these patients to go into spasm,” Rathore explained.
Light and sound can exacerbate tetanus spasms, making them extremely painful and potentially life-threatening by affecting the airway. In a bustling intensive care unit, Rathore’s young patient required sedation, intubation, and administration of tetanus immune globulin antibodies and the vaccine to lower future risks. The child spent 37 days in the hospital.
Dr. Matthew Davis of Nemours Children’s Health noted a decline in tetanus cases with widespread vaccination, reducing mortality risks significantly.
In areas like the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), tetanus is still prevalent, with 540 cases reported last year, according to the World Health Organization. John Johnson from Doctors Without Borders highlighted the preventable nature of the disease: “If you see one case of tetanus in the U.S., it’s a shame. There’s no reason we should be seeing this disease anymore.”
‘My Jaw Was Completely Locked Shut’
Adults are advised to receive a tetanus booster every 10 years. However, many are unaware of this requirement. Nikki Arellano, 42, from Reno, Nevada, learned this the hard way when a minor leg cut from a metal arch led to tetanus. A week later, she experienced severe jaw pain, escalating to a complete lock.
“My jaw was completely locked shut,” Arellano recounted. “I went to the ER, and they tried to give me a bunch of sedatives and pain medicine and muscle relaxers to get my jaw to open, and nothing was making it open.”
Diagnosed with tetanus, Arellano was hospitalized and connected to an intravenous pump for antibiotics. The loud beeping of the pump often triggered intense muscle contractions. “It would arch your back really bad, like, it was really, really painful muscle spasms,” she described. Concerns over compromised airways grew as swallowing became difficult.
“It was very scary,” she admitted. Arellano spent almost a week in the hospital and continues her recovery.
Heightened Risk with Climate Change
Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods increase the risk of tetanus outbreaks, as injuries from debris become more likely. “As the Earth warms, there’s already a documented increase in the frequency, intensity and duration of many extreme weather and climate events,” explained Kristie Ebi, an epidemiologist and global health professor at the University of Washington. She warned that reduced vaccinations during such events could elevate tetanus risks.
States prone to significant natural disasters, including Florida, Texas, and Kansas, are seeing declining tetanus vaccination rates, according to NBC News data.
Original Story at www.nbcnews.com