Early last September, due to the impact of Typhoon Yagi, water from upstream flooded Hung Yen province. Mr. K and other people participated in building a flood protection wall. During the construction process, he had a minor accident on the instep of his right foot when a brick fell on his foot. He treated and bandaged the wound himself and did not get a tetanus shot.
Six days later, Mr. K had increasing difficulty opening his mouth, difficulty swallowing, and a hard stomach. On September 16, Mr. K went to Hung Yen General Hospital for examination and treatment with a diagnosis of tetanus.
However, his condition did not improve. On September 23, Mr. K was transferred to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases for treatment with a diagnosis of tetanus in a state of uncontrolled muscle hypertonia, stiff mouth, and only able to open 1.5 cm. The wound on the instep of Mr. K's right foot was small, 0.5 cm in size, dry mouth, crusted, not swollen or purulent.
Doctor Truong Tu The Bao, Emergency Department, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases said: Tetanus is an acute infectious disease with a high mortality rate caused by exotoxins of tetanus bacilli. The cause of tetanus is often due to scratches and wounds that come into direct contact with tetanus bacilli found in soil, sand, dust, cow, horse and poultry manure, sewers, unsterilized surgical instruments, etc., penetrating into wounds and scratches that develop into an infection causing tetanus.
The incubation period for tetanus is usually 3 to 21 days. It can range from 1 day to several months, depending on the nature, size, and location of the wound. The average incubation period is about 10 days. Most cases appear within 14 days.
Doctor Bao shared: Patients are injected with tetanus antitoxin to treat toxins in the blood. Toxins attached to nerve cells must be eliminated by the body. People with wounds that are frequently exposed to dirty environments such as mud, dirty water, livestock farming environments, etc. should get tetanus vaccinations every 5 years because tetanus bacteria will incubate in the wounds and progress to disease.
