{"id":108289,"date":"2026-06-15T14:08:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T08:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=108289"},"modified":"2026-06-15T14:08:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T08:38:28","slug":"tetanus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/tetanus\/","title":{"rendered":"Tetanus"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Tetanus Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tetanus, once thought to have been eradicated, is resurging in the US. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>About Tetanus<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tetanus, also known as <\/span><b>lockjaw<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is a serious <\/span><b>bacterial infection <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that <\/span><b>affects <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the body&#8217;s <\/span><b>nervous system.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s caused by a <\/span><b>poison (toxin) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">made by the<\/span><b> bacterium Clostridium tetani<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (C. tetani).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bacterium usually<\/span><b> enters the body <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">through an <\/span><b>open wound.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tetanus <\/span><b>bacteria live in soil and manure.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> They can <\/span><b>also be found in the human intestin<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e and other places.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tetanus occurs <\/span><b>more often in warmer climates<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><b>during the warmer months.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s <\/span><b>not spread from person to person<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anyone can get tetanus, but the disease is particularly<\/span><b> common and serious in newborn babies and pregnant women<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> who have <\/span><b>not been sufficiently immunized <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with tetanus-toxoid-containing vaccines.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Tetanus <\/b><b>Symptoms<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once inside the body, tetanus <\/span><b>toxins interfere<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the <\/span><b>release of neurotransmitters, leading to muscle contractions <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and intractable spasms.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Symptoms typically occur between 3 and 21 days (average 8 days) after exposure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>early hallmark <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of tetanus is \u2018<\/span><b>lockjaw<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019, hence the name. It is a painful condition in which the <\/span><b>jaw cannot move or open properly.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Other symptoms<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> include:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Trouble swallowing<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sudden, <\/span><b>involuntary muscle spasms <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 often in the stomach<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Painful muscle stiffness <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">throughout the body<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Seizures <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(jerking or staring)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Headache<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fever and sweating<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Changes in blood pressure and heart rate<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The disease can cause <\/span><b>serious health problems<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> such as <\/span><b>laryngospasm <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(uncontrolled tightening of the vocal cords), fractures, <\/span><b>pulmonary embolism <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><b>blockage in the lungs caused by a blood clot)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>aspiration pneumonia<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (lung infection from inhaling saliva or vomit), and breathing difficulties.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><b>severe cases<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, tetanus can lead to <\/span><b>death<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Tetanus <\/b><b>Treatment<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There&#8217;s<\/span><b> no cure<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for tetanus.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Treatment <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">focuses on <\/span><b>managing symptoms <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and complications until the effects of the tetanus toxin resolve.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>People who recover<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from tetanus <\/span><b>do not have natural immunity <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and can be infected again.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Tetanus <\/b><b>Prevention<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tetanus is <\/span><b>completely preventable by being immunized (vaccinated).<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Immunization usually protects against tetanus infection for 10 years.<\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>childhood schedule<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> includes <\/span><b>five doses,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> followed by <\/span><b>boosters in adolescence and every 10 years.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Pregnant women<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are also advised to<\/span><b> receive Tdap to protect their newborns.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>News<\/b><strong>: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/etimes\/wellness\/deadly-lockjaw-disease-climbs-in-the-us-symptoms-and-precautions-you-should-know\/articleshow\/131719398.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>TOI<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tetanus is a serious bacterial infection that affects the body&#8217;s nervous system. Read more about Tetanus, Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Latest News.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":108305,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[8144],"class_list":{"0":"post-108289","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-prelims-current-affairs","8":"tag-tetanus","9":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108289"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108289\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108328,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108289\/revisions\/108328"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}