tetanus- do you worry when not vaccinated?

[melbrodhi]

my kids are not vaccinated and i never really had an intention of ever getting them vaccinated.

i am worrying about my DS thou, he's 5 and he is constantly falling over and cutting/scrapping knees/elbows etc. the thought of tetanus scares me, and its always in the back of my mind as i clean up yet another injury.

i wouldnt hesitate to get him a tetanus shot, but you cant just do tetanus for kids his age, it has to be the combined shot with all the other stuff in it too. so now im not sure what to do, just bite the bullet and get him the shot with all the other stuff or not.

for those of you who dont vaccinate, does tetanus worry you?

[krysalyss]

Tetanus is something I would vaccinate for. We are doing some vaccinations delayed, and some not at all but tetanus for me personally is something I would always do. Probably because I work with animals and have seen a dog with tetanus.

[Heaven]

Yes, tetanus I was worried about. DD wasn't vaccinated at all until a month ago but because she is now outside a lot more and running around hurting herself etc I wanted her to have tetanus.

[Aligater]

When I was 12 I had to get a booster as I fell on some rusty wire and got a puncture wound in my arm. I can still remember the pain and puss that went with it. A DR saw it and cleaned it imediatly and said it was fine but keep an eye on it a week later it had gone really bad and i couldnt move my arm. Mum took me back and they gave me the tetanus needle a day later and the sweling and redness had gone. I would always do that one even if I didnt do any other vacinations. I still have a scar that is bigger than it should be.

[Roryrory]

I am pro-vaccination but with this one I know you can avoid the risks with tetanus with good wound care. My DH had an allergic reaction to the booster as a baby so went all his life without a shot. Now he has regularly worked with rusty stuff, nails, welding, metalwork, fallen off bikes, cut himself, the works. He was just SUPER CAREFUL with wound care. Tetanus needs an anerobic (ie: no-oxygen environment) to live in, so if you clean the wound BEFORE it heals you should be ok. As it turns out he had the tetanus shot last year without reaction (aged 36) because his doc said he was nuts not to. So I am not saying yay or nay, but rather you can lead a "high risk" lifestyle and not get tetanus.

[krysalyss]

Rory I see your point and my situation is slightly different but I got bitten by a dog at work, went and had it cleaned and checked by the hospital straight away, went on ABs, had a tetanus shot because I was close to due, and then the next day I had an infection moving up my arm so quickly I could see the difference over an hour (I didn't have tetanus of course but I did have anaerobic bacteria breeding in the wound). Back to the hospital for IV ABs. I was pretty surprised really because I had been so careful with getting it cleaned but that dog had something nasty in its mouth!
Still of course like any vaccinations you take a risk if you do and a risk if you don't and it is up to you to decide for your kids. Hope this helps

[Roryrory]

Oh yeah, Krysalyss, you'd definitely would need a shot for a dog bite!! DH should've got one earlier too, for sure. But I think "most" people can avoid tetanus cause most wounds aren't that serious. And "most" people can tolerate the injection/vaccine, so why risk something even if it's a small risk.
It's kinda like Hep B injections for newborns - they are a bit OTT IMO, as most newborns aren't IV injectors, don't eat oysters, play with poo other than their own, etc.
How OT am I today LOL!
Anyways, I think "puncture" type wonds are the ones to really watch, as mentioned. Your run-of-the-mill scratches shouldn't be a problem.

[Cherished]

Hi, what did you end up deciding. I am not vaccinating DS and tetnus isn't something that I would just go out and get. I remember as a kid the only time I had one was when I had a cut from somethign rusty. I think if yoru kids were actually bitten or did cut themself 'then' go and get the shot. I dont' think you'd get tetnus right there and then, from memory going and getting the shot that day or next was OK. Feel free to correct me anyone as I dont' know the facts on this at all, just saying what my knowledge was from when I was a kid.