Disaster and health officials are encouraging all residents of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman to get tetanus shots to protect them from infections.

These free immunizations are available through two options: One, there are newly-formed Community Outreach Teams which are visiting all areas – especially vulnerable residents such as the elderly and shut-ins. Two, tetanus shots are also available at the Faith Hospital or at the Aston Rutty Centre’s medical wing. Shots are also available at the Little Cayman Health Centre.

Anyone who has not had a shot in the past five years should receive one to guard against infections, the health officials said.

“The kinds of cleanup Cayman Brac and Little Cayman residents will be doing – working to restore homes and removing debris – will expose them to dangers. Puncture wounds or exposure to standing water are two common causes of tetanus,” the Hazard Management office said in a press release.

The office said that the 911 emergency service is also in operation and that outpatient and accident and emergency services have been restored to the Faith Hospital. Inpatient care continues at the Aston Rutty Centre but should soon move to Kirkconnell Community Care Centre next to the Faith Hospital, the office added.

For more medical information call 916-8672 or 925-9980.


What is Tetanus?
Tetanus is a medical condition that is characterized by a prolonged contraction of skeletal muscle fibres. The primary symptoms are caused by tetanospasmin, a neurotoxin produced by the Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani. Infection generally occurs through wound contamination, and often involves a cut or deep puncture wound. As the infection progresses, muscle spasms in the jaw develop, hence the common name, lockjaw. This is followed by difficulty in swallowing and general muscle stiffness and spasms in other parts of the body. Infection can be prevented by proper immunization and by post-exposure prophylaxis.


Signs and symptoms

Tetanus affects skeletal muscle, a type of striated muscle. The other type of striated muscle, cardiac or heart muscle cannot be tetanized, because of its intrinsic electrical properties. In recent years, approximately 11% of reported tetanus cases have been fatal. The highest mortality rates are in unvaccinated persons and persons over 60 years of age. C. tetani, the bacterium that causes tetanus, is recovered from the initial wound in only about 30% of cases, and can be found in patients who do not have tetanus.

The incubation period of tetanus ranges from 3 to 21 days, with an average onset of clinical presentation of symptoms in 8 days. In general, the further the injury site is from the central nervous system, the longer the incubation period. The shorter the incubation period, the higher the chance of death. In neonatal tetanus, symptoms usually appear from 4 to 14 days after birth, averaging about 7 days. On the basis of clinical findings, four different forms of tetanus have been described.[2]


Prevention of Tetanus

Tetanus can be prevented by vaccination. The CDC recommends that adults receive a booster vaccine every ten years, and standard care practice in many places is to give the booster to any patient with a puncture wound who is uncertain of when he or she was last vaccinated, or if he or she has had fewer than 3 lifetime doses of the vaccine.

The booster cannot prevent a potentially fatal case of tetanus from the current wound, however, as it can take up to two weeks for tetanus antibodies to form.

In children under the age of seven, the tetanus vaccine is often administered as a combined vaccine, DPT/DTaP vaccine, which also includes vaccines against diphtheria and pertussis. For adults and children over seven, the Td vaccine (tetanus and diphtheria) or Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis) is commonly used.

(Source: wikipedia.org)