I don't really understand the whole tetanus thing. Seems like doctors don't really want to give the shots anymore. Is the booster potentially harmful? Good to have the reminder...
kathy

Thanks for this reminder and warning, goldenpond. I posted this reminder on another gardening forum earlier this year after I got a booster. Hadn't had one in way longer than 10 years so it was long overdue. I got scared when I jammed a sliver deep into my finger when I was working with compost.

The booster is not a live vaccine so should be fairly innocuous for most people. Talk to your Dr. if you have concerns. I'm allergic to eggs so don't get some vaccinations as I can have serious reactions to those that are grown in eggs. Tetanus vaccine apparently is not according to my Dr.

You really have to ask a Dr to give it. They think that if you get cut you will come to the ER and get one so they don'te remind you once you are older.
Here is another article.You can google hundreds of stories ,some of people who died from a minor scratch or thorn prick.
You can go to your Health dept or a walk in clinic that is what I did.
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National Post
Warning, home gardeners. Before you get your hands dirty - stop! When did you get your last tetanus vaccination? If it was 10 years ago or more, put down your trowel. Call your doctor. You could be at risk of getting a dangerous and deadly disease for which there is no cure.

Most people link tetanus with rusty nails. But tetanus is everywhere. It's in soil, dust, animal waste, and anything that comes in contact with them. You can get it from insect bites, animal bites, scratches from claws or thorns, or through the tiniest crack or puncture in the skin. More than 30% of all tetanus injuries occur in the garden.

How easy is it to get? Cleveland Clinic admitted a home gardener with an advanced case of tetanus. He had no visible punctures and no idea of how he'd contracted the disease. A detailed examination of his hands, however, revealed the culprit: an almost invisible splinter in the pad of his thumb. Fortunately, the patient survived (after six weeks in intensive care). Not all are so lucky. In recent years, 10% of all cases in North America have been fatal. In non-Western societies, the death rate is much higher.

Back to Body & Health

Tetanus is notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat. Here's how it starts: The spores of a bacteria called C. tetani enters the body through a wound. The spores thrive and germinate in the low-oxygen environment inside the body.

The germinating spores produce a toxin that spreads through the blood and lymphatic system. The toxins disrupt the nervous system. First they strike the nerves nearest to the puncture. Then they spread out to the spinal cord and brain. Within five to 10 days after the infection, tetanus may exhibit its most famous symptom -- lockjaw.

Lockjaw is followed by stiffness in the neck. The patient has difficulty swallowing. The abdomen grows rigid. The toxins spread. Generalized muscles spasms begin. These symptoms can go on for weeks. Once a full-blown case of tetanus is underway, there is no stopping it. The disease can only be managed. Not cured.

The good news is that this disease can be prevented. There is a highly effective vaccine that delivers full immunity from tetanus. Adults often don't realize, however, that the vaccine wears off after a few years. Fewer than a quarter of people over the age of 75 years are still immune to tetanus. The National Foundation for Infectious Disease, a U.S. organization for which I serve as medical director, sponsors a program called "The Power of Ten" to educate people about the need to get re-vaccinated for tetanus every ten years.

The vaccine is first administered in a series of three injections a "primary series." After that, it needs to be renewed with a single booster every 10 years. These days, most people receive the primary series in infancy but some older individuals may have grown up in the era before tetanus immunization was available. Those whose tetanus vaccination history is uncertain should discuss it with a physician.

For many years the diphtheria vaccine has been given along with the tetanus vaccine. This year, a third component, directed at whooping cough (pertussis), has been added for adolescents and adults. Parents, health care workers and others who spend time with young infants should speak with a physician about getting the new vaccine, called Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis) early.

Tetanus is rare in our day, and getting rarer. But don't test the odds. Remember "the power of ten." Get your 10-year tetanus booster with the diphtheria and pertussis boosters thrown in. Then, get out and dig the earth.

- Susan Rehm, M.D., Department of Infectious Disease Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic (clevelandclinic.org) is ranked as one of the four leading hospitals in the U.S. and operates Cleveland Clinic Canada -- Toronto Health and Wellness Centre. Cleveland Clinic Canada offers executive physicals, prevention and wellness counseling, and personal health care management. Send comments, questions or inquiries to nationalpost@ccf.org.
© (c) CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.

You can get it from thorns???? dang it.

I'll add it to the list for my next doctor visit. Thanks for the reminder.

Thanks for the reminder!
I had a tetanus shot 11 or 12 years ago after being scratched by a squirrel.
I'd read about a woman who got tetanus after stepping on a walnut in her yard while hanging laundry. Apparently the yard had once been part of a cow pasture.