Bee sting, cuts, scrapes, burns … things happen. Sometimes we seek medical care in an ER or urgent care. We are there for an informed opinion on our need for medical treatment, yet often the first issue we face is pressure to accept a tetanus shot. ERs throughout the country seem to have the same standard protocol to promote a “tetanus shot” for nearly every presentation. I’ve written about tetanus here, here, here and here. But I came across some facts that I wanted to collect and share.
Tetanus is the name of a sickness you get when the bacterium Clostridium tetani enters your body and flourishes (with a life cycle). C. tetani is an anaerobic bacteria meaning it can only live in the absence of oxygen. In the presence of oxygen tetanus cannot complete its life cycle to create the tetanus toxin which is dangerous. If a wound has bled and can be cleaned and aired, there is very little risk of this life cycle ever happening.
Before agreeing to a tetanus shot it is imperative to seek information on the true risk of a tetanus infection compared to the risk of harm caused by the “tetanus” vaccine. The CDC provides information on tetanus infections through annual reports. Vaccine adverse events can be found in the VAERS data base and the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) annual compensation reports.
In an 8 year study covered by the CDC mortality and morbidity report (2001-2008) 45 states reported 233 cases of diagnosed tetanus infection including 26 deaths. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6012a1.htm
Compare this to 791 deaths reported during this time period from a tetanus containing vaccine.
The Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) was set up in 1988 as a voluntary reporting system to track vaccine reactions. 155,830 adverse events and 2,676 deaths were reported following tetanus containing vaccines in children and adults. Updated statistics are available from https://www.openvaers.com/openvaers.
Admittedly, most vaccines are given in combination with many other vaccines so the harm cannot be attributed solely to the tetanus vaccine.
The VICP has received, filed, and compensated 4,431 claims for injury and 865 claims for death following a tetanus containing vaccine from October 1, 1988 – September 1, 2021. https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/vaccine-compensation/data/data-statistics-report.pdf
Tetanus Surveillance — United States, 2001–2008: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6012a1.htm
- During 2001–2008, a total of 233 cases of tetanus were reported from 45 states; 26 were fatal.
- An average of 29 cases was reported each year.
- The average annual incidence was 0.10 per 1 million population.
- C. tetani is ubiquitous in the environment (can be found everywhere)
- Populations considered at increased risk for tetanus include persons with tetanus-prone wounds, IDUs (injection drug users), and those with diabetes and chronic wounds.
- The findings in this report indicate that older adults are at greater risk for tetanus than younger persons, and the risk for fatal disease is higher among patients aged ≥65 years.
“Tetanus only” shots were once available, but are no longer offered because the manufacturers stopped production. The only ‘tetanus’ injection available in the US is a three in one shot containing diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines. While many doctors, nurses, and ER staff will encourage anyone with a wound to get a ‘tetanus’ shot, the only shot available is the DTaP for children and the TDaP for adults.
There are many first hand reports of patients agreeing to receive a tetanus shot, but when the shot arrives, the vial is for DTaP/TDaP.
In conclusion, during 2001-2008 a total of 53,470 injuries including 791 deaths were reported from a tetanus containing vaccine to the registry within the United States government database while during the same time period, 26 died from tetanus infection.
The tetanus vaccine is heralded as the reason for the decrease in tetanus world wide, but this has never been substantiated. Documented Tetanus Mortality in England & Wales from 1901 to 1999 shows “the administration of the tetanus vaccine is likely to be pointless and puts children especially at risk of adverse reactions to the vaccines. Deaths related to Tetanus and tetanus incidents overall, sharply decreased long before the vaccine was introduced widely during World War II.” https://preventdisease.com/news/10/102510_vaccines_did_not_save_us.shtml#Tet_EngWale
Tetanus is ubiquitous: It is found on the surface of the body, in the mouth, in the gastro-intestinal tract, in house dust and clothing. It occurs extensively in cultivated soils. The organism lives as a harmless commensal in the gut of many animals, in addition to humans…
The geographical distribution of tetanus across the globe generally follows the areas of moist, warm climate and fertile soil — the highest rates occur in the developing world, particularly in countries near the equator.
Non vaccinated individuals can have tetanus antibodies due to natural exposure. 410 Indians demonstrate measurable antitoxin despite receiving no vaccines. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6114281/
There have been allegations that some vaccines targeting fertile female populations in underdeveloped countries contain human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) to prevent pregnancy. In 1993, WHO announced a “birth-control vaccine” for “family planning”. Published research shows that by 1976 WHO researchers had conjugated tetanus toxoid (TT) with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) producing a “birth-control” vaccine. Many priests have raised concerns regarding targeting populations in Africa, Asia, and South America to cause sterilization. https://www.scirp.org/Journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=81838, https://www.scirp.org/Journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=81838 and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12346214/
Many efforts to give vaccines to pregnant women state the purported aim is to reduce neonatal tetanus (NT).
“NT most often occurs through cutting of the umbilical cord using non-sterile techniques or applying non-sterile traditional remedies to the umbilical cord stump, but infection of the umbilical stump is not always evident. Deliveries carried out by persons with unclean hands or on a contaminated surface are also risk factors for maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT). Tetanus is not transmissible from person to person.”
Since neonatal tetanus is primarily caused by unsanitary cutting of the umbilical cord, education on better cutting and care of the neonatal cord would seem to be both beneficial and cost effective.
Standard of Care for Neonatal Tetanus as described by the WHO does NOT include giving a tetanus vaccine, ONLY giving tetanus immune globulin (TIG):
“NT remains an important global public health problem, particularly in settings with high neonatal mortality and among some of the poorest and most marginalized subpopulations worldwide.”
“NT is a medical emergency requiring hospitalization, immediate treatment with human tetanus immune globulin (TIG), agents to control muscle spasm (preferred: benzodiazepines), and antibiotics (preferred: metronidazole or penicillin G). A single intramuscular dose of human TIG is recommended as soon as possible to prevent further progression of the disease. If TIG is not available, equine-derived antitoxin tetanus serum (ATS), can be given in a single intravenous dose, after testing for hypersensitivity. Alternatively, intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) may be used.”
https://www.who.int/immunization/monitoring_surveillance/burden/vpd/WHO_SurveillanceVaccinePreventshorturl.at/eruDF
More Tetanus Links:
Tetanus Links from Journey Boost 2014: https://journeyboost.com/2014/09/26/tetanus-links/
Why One Should Always Say NO to the Tetanus Shot: http://www.vaccinationinformationnetwork.com/why-one…/
National Vaccine Information Center: Quick Facts on Tetanus: Get the Information You Need to Make an Informed Decision http://www.nvic.org/Vaccines-and-Diseases/Tetanus.aspx
http://hfidaho.weebly.com/tetanus-shot.html
TETANUS SHOT: HOW DO WE KNOW THAT IT WORKS? ~ By Tetyana Obukhanych, PhD https://www.tetyanaobukhanych.com/tetanus_shot.html
“The medical establishment chooses to turn a blind eye to the lack of solid scientific evidence to substantiate our faith in the tetanus shot.”
“When an old medical procedure of unknown effectiveness, such as the tetanus shot, has been the standard of medical care for a long time, finalizing its effectiveness via a modern rigorous placebo-controlled trial is deemed unethical in human research. Therefore, our only hope for the advancement of tetanus care is that further investigation of the ascorbic acid therapy is performed and that this therapy becomes available to tetanus patients around the world, if confirmed effective by rigorous bio-statistical standards.”
Dr Suzanne Humphries on Tetanus and Wound Care
Tetanus vaccine, facts and fiction- Article with links to studies: What do you really know about Tetanus? Https://iamnaturalnana.wordpress.com/2019/07/10/what-do-you-really-know-about-tetanus/
History and information about Tetanus: http://www.vaclib.org/links/tetanusindex.htm
Summary:
- Tetanus incidence and mortality declined greatly before the widespread use of tetanus vaccine. (In excess of 99%)
- The bacteria associated with tetanus is present virtually everywhere. However, when the human body does not present the bacteria a proper environment for growth, this constitutes a natural immunity to the tetanus bacteria.
- The only preventives for tetanus are general good health and wound hygiene.
- There is NO immunity to dirty wounds. Wound hygiene is essential.
- Tetanus incidence in the vaccinated is about the same or higher than incidence in the unvaccinated.
- Tetanus vaccine is not only ineffective but also toxic. It’s use causes numerous adverse side effects.
So, like all the other vaccine-related illnesses…is the illness truly rare, or are there simply lesser forms of it? Are vaccinated children truly protected from illness, or are parents and doctors too uninformed to recognize it?
Tetanus of immunized children: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8335151/
“Five children aged five to 15 years contracted tetanus in Finland between 1969 and 1985, together with 101 adults. Four of the five had been adequately immunized against tetanus.”
A study of tetanus amongst Rhesus monkeys https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajp.1350030103
“One half of an annual birth crop of the rhesus monkeys inoculated with tetanus toxoid at the age of one year had protective levels of tetanus antitoxin seven years post-inoculation. However, the immunization program had no significant effect on either the total or tetanus mortality rates during the study.”
Atypical tetanus in a fully vaccinated 14 year old boy https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/120/5/e1355
23 Abstracts with Vaccination: Tetanus Research https://www.greenmedinfo.com/anti-therapeutic-action/vaccination-tetanus
Tetanus Shots, as bad as other vaccines (fee required for membership access) https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/tetanus-shot-just-as-bad-as-other-vaccinations/
Becky Hastings collects information on health and tries her best to discover and share truth. By God’s grace, through Jesus Christ, I was saved, blessed with a husband of 40 years, and five precious babies all grown up. I now get to delight as nine grandchildren grow! Together we can help each other discover a healthy path in this crazy upside down world.