Getting ready for spring gardening?
Now is a good time of year to get your shots up to date
Posted 2 years ago
The days are getting longer, the snow is melting and the grass is greening up. Are you thinking about spring planting? Another thing to consider is immunization. Have you had a tetanus shot in the last 10 years?
Tetanus, or lockjaw, is caused by a germ that lives in dirt and dust in our environment. The disease begins when the germ makes its way into skin through a puncture, cut, scrape or bite. Once in a wound, the germ can make a powerful poison (toxin) that blocks the activities of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain. This results in frequent and painful muscle spasms in the face, neck, chest, abdomen, arms and legs. The common name for tetanus – lockjaw – comes from the painful spasms of the jaw muscles. These muscle spasms can last up to a month.
Tetanus is a severe disease. Even with modern medical treatment, death occurs in three out of 10 cases. However, tetanus can be prevented through immunization.
The vaccine to prevent tetanus, known as tetanus toxoid, is made from inactivated tetanus toxin and therefore, cannot make anyone sick. Instead, it stimulates the immune system to develop fighter cells (antibodies) that attack the tetanus germs. Then, if the real germs get into the body, the immune system remembers and is ready to attack them with antibodies. After10 years, however, the immune system starts to forget how to fight tetanus. A booster shot reminds the immune system to be ready.
For adult immunization, tetanus toxoid is combined with diphtheria vaccine. Diphtheria is a contagious disease that causes a thick coating at the back of the throat and can lead to breathing problems, heart failure and nerve damage.
The tetanus and diphtheria vaccine is given by a needle into the muscle of the upper arm.
Nobody really likes needles. But hopefully, getting a needle won’t seem so bad now that you know how the vaccine works and how important it is for all people to be immunized.
April 20 to 26 is National Immunization Awareness Week. This is the perfect time to update your immunizations. While a tetanus and diphtheria booster is needed every 10 years, other vaccinations may be needed depending on foreign travel, occupation, individual lifestyle, underlying illness and age. Ask your doctor or call Renfrew County & District Health Unit’s Health Info Line at 613-735-8666 or 1-800-267-1096, ext. 666 for more information about immunization. Happy gardening!
