Rare tetanus case prompts vaccine inquiries

The painful, sometimes fatal disease tetanus has infected an unvaccinated boy in the province of Ontario. Hearing the news, several worried parents have sought information on how to get their children inoculated.

There have been sporadic outbreaks of mumps and measles recently in Canada as more parents refuse to vaccinate their children based on incorrect information that vaccines are unsafe. Canadian children are routinely vaccinated against more than a dozen diseases, including tetanus.

‘A very, very serious disease’

“Tetanus is often a very, very serious disease and this case is a serious case,” says Dr. Shelley Deeks, medical director for immunization and vaccine preventable disease at Ontario’s public health department. Cases are rare in Canada, but cases do crop up particularly among agricultural workers whose may not have been vaccinated or whose immunization is not up to date.

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Tetanus causes severe muscle contractions that often start in the jaw or neck, which is why it is also called lockjaw. The contractions can be severe enough to break bones or paralyse breathing. Between 20 and 30 percent of young children who are infected die.

Powerful nerve toxins can cause death

Tetanus is caused by bacteria, usually in soil, manure or dust that enters a wound and develop releasing powerful nerve toxins. There is no cure, only medication to try to control the symptoms. But a vaccine can protect against getting it in the first place.  Vaccines must be renewed every 10 years.

Why so many parents are refusing to vaccinate their children is a question being investigated by health authorities in Canada and one that was featured on the public broadcaster’s program Marketplace.

Only one way to prevent tetanus

Herd immunity, or the fact that most children can’t pass on diseases because they have been vaccinated, may lull so called “anti-vaxxer” parents into a false sense of security. Unvaccinated children are still catching nasty diseases. And herd immunity does not apply to tetanus which is not passed from person to person.

The only way to prevent tetanus is to get vaccinated, says Deeks. “It’s such a preventable disease. It’s heartbreaking when we see these cases especially in kids when they’re so preventable with immunizations that are free for Canadians.”

‘The right decision…is to vaccinate’

Getting correct information about vaccine safety to parents has become a priority for public health officials in Ontario. “I think we can all agree that what parents want is what’s in the best interest of their child,” says Deeks. “And we in public health need to ensure that we give parents the information that they need so they can make the right decision, which is to vaccinate their child so we don’t have to see these heart wrenching cases of tetanus occurring.”