hi Gregg,

sorry to hear about your misadventure.

i wouldn't worry about a booster shot, if i was you.  i haven't had a
booster shot in over thirty years, and i get cut and scraped all the time
while working out in the (manure-laden) garden.  once, about 8 years ago, i
was in my bare feet, dragging a huge metal dog kennel crate, and i
accidently ripped the toenail off my big toe.  yes, all the way off (it
eventually grew back).  very nasty and painful but i didn't get tetanus.

think of the odds:  there's what, over 260,000,000 people in the US now?
and less than 100 cases of tetanus per year?  and i'd bet most of the people
who do contract tetanus are extremely compromised in both general health and
nutrition (like street winos who haven't had meat or fresh veg for YEARS, or
very old/frail people) who don't clean the wound thoroughly when it happens
and then miss the initial symptoms and then delay any sort of treatment.
also, i read that cuts on the head/face are more often effected than ones
elsewhere on the body.

i know these statistics because of a recent (yet ongoing) argument with my
kids pediatrician as to why i don't get them vaccinated for tetanus.  i
think the odds are too low to warrant taking a chance on the side effects of
the vaccine.

if you think you're getting the symptoms, they can give you immune globulin
to conteract the tetanus toxin and IV antibiotics, probably penicillin, to
try to kill the bacteria that's making the toxin.

if you feel you really need to get the vaccine, i recall that my
microbiology instructor told us that there are less long-term risks from
vaccines for bacteria (like the tetanus vaccine) as opposed to vaccines for
viruses.  but i can't recall why he said that.  Binnie, if you're out there,
do you remember why Francis told us that?

good luck, Gregg.


JoAnn.





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