Vaccines and Preventable Diseases:
Tetanus (Lockjaw) Vaccination
Tetanus (lockjaw) is a serious disease that causes painful tightening of the muscles, usually all over the body. It can lead to "locking" of the jaw so the victim cannot open his mouth or swallow. Tetanus leads to death in about 1 in 10 cases. Several vaccines are used to prevent tetanus among children, adolescents, and adults including DTaP, Tdap, DT, and Td.
What You Should Know:
For Health Professionals:
What You Should Know
- Brief description
Symptoms, treatment, transmission, etc. - About tetanus and tetanus vaccination
[196KB - 2 pages] (compliant) Updated Feb 2008
Parent's Guide to Childhood Immunization - Pictures of Tetanus
Warning: Some of these photos are quite graphic. - Travelers information
Information and updates on risks for travelers, precautions, prevention, etc.
Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis Vaccines
There are four combination vaccines used to prevent diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis: DTaP, Tdap, DT, and Td. Two of these (DTaP and DT) are given to children younger than 7 years of age, and two (Tdap and Td) are given to older children and adults. Several other combination vaccines contain DTaP along with other childhood vaccines.
Children should get 5 doses of DTaP, one dose at each of the following ages: 2, 4, 6, and 15-18 months and 4-6 years. DT does not contain pertussis, and is used as a substitute for DTaP for children who cannot tolerate pertussis vaccine.
Td is a tetanus-diphtheria vaccine given to adolescents and adults as a booster shot every 10 years, or after an exposure to tetanus under some circumstances. Tdap is similar to Td but also containing protection against pertussis. A single dose of Tdap is recommended for adolescents 11 or 12 years of age, or in place of one Td booster in older adolescents and adults age 19 through 64.
[Upper-case letters in these abbreviations denote full-strength doses of diphtheria (D) and tetanus (T) toxoids and pertussis (P) vaccine. Lower-case “d” and “p” denote reduced doses of diphtheria and pertussis used in the adolescent/adult-formulations. The “a” in DTaP and Tdap stands for “acellular,” meaning that the pertussis component contains only a part of the pertussis organism.]- As an adult, do I need this vaccine?
(19 years and older) - Side effects of vaccine
Excerpt from Vaccine Information Statement
- Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) (Td/Tdap and DTaP)
- Questions
and Answers
about the various vaccines (DT, DTaP, Td, Tdap) - State Vaccine Requirements
Includes school vaccine requirements
As with all vaccines, there can be minor reactions, including pain and redness at the injection site, headache, fatigue or a vague feeling of discomfort.
- Who should not be vaccinated with tetanus vaccine?
- Pregnancy guidelines (Td and Tdap)
- MMWR: Prevention of Pertussis, Tetanus, and Diphtheria Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women and their Infants (ACIP Recommendations)
May 14, 2008 / 57(Early Release);1-47
For Health Professionals
Clinical Information on Tetanus
- Technical information [536KB - 10 pages] (compliant)
Clinical Features, Etiologic Agent, Incidence, Complications, Transmission, Risk Groups, Surveillance, Trends, Challenges, etc. (Pink Book) - Ask the Experts
CDC experts answer your clinical vaccine questions (Immunization Action Coalition) - Proper handling of Dt, Td, DTaP, DTaP/Hib, DTaP/Hepb/IPV, Tdap vaccines
- Pediarix vaccine: questions and answers
- Tdap vaccine: recommendations, press release, etc.
- NIPINFO answers your questions about Dtap, Td, and DT
- NIPINFO answers your questions about Pediarix
Vaccine Recommendations
- ACIP recommendations
- MMWR: Prevention of Pertussis, Tetanus, and Diphtheria Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women
and their Infants (ACIP Recommendations)
May 14, 2008 / 57(Early Release);1-47
- MMWR: Prevention of Pertussis, Tetanus, and Diphtheria Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women
and their Infants (ACIP Recommendations)
- MMWRs on Tetanus
- Healthcare Personnel Vaccination Recommendations [68KB - 1 page] Updated Oct 2009
- Standing Orders
- Contraindications
- ACIP - Vaccines for Children (VFC) Resolution
- See also other VFC materials re Tdap
References and Resources
- MMWRs on DTaP
- Pink Book's chapter on Tetanus [536KB - 10 pages]
Epidemiology & Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases textbook - Surveillance manual's chapter on Tetanus
Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases textbook - Travelers Health: Yellow Book
- Check Your Vials: Is it Tdap, DTaP, or Td? [239KB - 1 page]
Source: California Department of Health Services, Immunization Branch
Provider Education
- 2009 Clinical education slide set
[PPT - 122KB] Updated May 2009
from the 11th edition "Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases" course - Podcasts
Immunization-related podcasts; none specifically on tetanus
Materials for Patients
- Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) (Td/Tdap and DTaP)
- Stories of people who suffered or died from vaccine-preventable diseases
- Tetanus: Questions and Answers [88KB - 3 pages]
Ready-to-print versions of one of the CDC-reviewed Q&A material located on IAC's Vaccine Information website (www.vaccineinformation.org) Dated 2/07 - Tétanos - Las vacunas y las enfermedades que previenen (Spanish materials)
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Content last reviewed on May 18, 2009
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases