Today we popped down to the Waikanae Healthcare Centre for an appointment with Nurse Lee: Operation Tetanus, or perhaps Anti-Tetanus, if you will.
I always thought that lockjaw was caused by wounds from rusty nails, bites from rabid dogs, and the like. No, no, no, I was advised by the professionals: its a bug in the soil and it is very d-a-n-g-e-r-o-u-s.
You cannot get tetanus from another person. You can get it through a cut or other wound. Tetanus bacteria are commonly present in soil, dust, water, and manure. The tetanus bacteria can infect you even through a tiny scratch. But you are more likely to get tetanus through deep punctures from wounds created by nails or knives. The bacteria travels via blood or nerves to your central nervous system.
Tetanus symptoms result from a toxin produced by tetanus bacteria. Symptoms often begin around a week after infection. But this may range from three days to three weeks. The most common symptom is a stiff jaw, which can become "locked." This is how the disease came to be called lockjaw.
Jeanette and I each got a shot in the left-hand side deltoid (shoulder) muscle, zap, and that was that. Now, we can safely go tramping on rusty nails, tease the neighbours dogs or be pricked by rose thorns and stuff. Not really, but I trust that we have some protection against this bacteria.
The ugly one.
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