Tetanus_a Risk for the Under Immunized

Tetanus Case In Unvaccinated Child Highlights Continued Threat Of Rare Disease Among Unvaccinated People, Study Suggests.

Medscape (3/7, Subscription Publication) provides coverage of a case report by researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University suggesting that “a recent case of tetanus in an unvaccinated child highlights the continued threat of this rare but dangerous disease among the unvaccinated individuals in the United States.” One researcher wrote, “Unvaccinated or inadequately vaccinated persons are at risk for tetanus, irrespective of age, and recovery from tetanus disease does not confer immunity.” The case report was published online in the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

STAT (3/7) also covers the story of the boy infected with tetanus. The unvaccinated child, after becoming infected, “spent 54 days in [the] hospital – 47 of them in intensive care.” He was back to normal functioning after nearly four months, with a hospital bill totaling “$811,929, and that didn’t include the cost of the air ambulance, the stay in the rehabilitation facility, or follow-up care that was needed.”