Vaccines and Preventable Diseases:
Tetanus Disease In-Short (Lockjaw)
Description
A disease of the nervous system caused by Clostridium tetani bacteria
Symptoms
Early symptoms: lockjaw, stiffness in the neck and abdomen, and difficulty swallowing
Later symptoms: severe muscle spasms, generalized tonic seizure-like activity, severe autonomic nervous system disorders
Complications
Bone fractures, abnormal heart rhythm
Death in about 10-20% of cases, with the highest rates occurring among older people
Transmission
Enters the body through a break in the skin. Tetanus is not transmitted from person to person.
Vaccine
Tetanus toxoid (contained in Tdap, DT, DTaP, and Td vaccines) can prevent this disease. Tetanus toxoid was also contained in DTP (an older version of DTaP); and DTaP is contained in several other combination vaccines, such as Pediarix, Pentacel, Kinrix, and TriHIBit.
See also, Tetanus: Make Sure You and Your Child Are Fully Immunized (NEW JUNE 2010)
Feature explaining tetanus disease and tetanus vaccine protection
Who Needs to be Vaccinated?
Does my infant need this vaccine?
Yes, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends 5 doses of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine for infants and children. One dose of DTaP vaccine is recommended at each of the following ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15-18 months, 4-6 years old. DTaP vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines.
See also: childhood immunization schedule
See also: Who should not be vaccinated?
See also: Td/Tdap Vaccine Information Statement (VIS)
See also: DTaP Vaccine Information Statement (VIS)
As an adult, do I need this vaccine?
Everyone needs protection from tetanus. If you have not had a booster shot in 10 years or more, you should receive a tetanus shot. If you never had the initial childhood tetanus vaccines, you should receive a series of three tetanus shots.
See also: adult immunization schedule
See also: Healthcare Personnel Vaccination Recommendations
Return to main Tetanus Vaccination page
This symbol means you are leaving the CDC.gov Web site. For more information, please see CDC's Exit Notification and Disclaimer policy.
File Formats: All viewers, players, and plug-ins used on this site can be downloaded from the file formats page. (For example: Adobe Acrobat Reader for pdf files, Windows Media Player for audio and video files, PowerPoint Viewer for presentation slides, etc.)
Content last reviewed on May 19, 2009
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases