Tetanus : Beware of the Dangers of the Deadly Disease

Having a wound, alongside seizures and being unable to open your mouth could pass for first signs of Tetanus ; the disease that can affect just anyone.

Tetanus deaths in Cameroon reached 223 or 0.12% of total deaths according to the latest World Health Organisation(WHO) data published in 2020. Death rate stands at 0.50 per 100,000 of population making the country 46 on the world ranking.

Tetanus and Causes

Tetanus is a serious bacterial infection that causes painful muscle spasms and can lead to death.

However, many persons in Cameroon can’t easily tell whether or not they have got the disease .

“If you find someone with a wound, having seizures and difficulties opening the mouth (lockjaw) – this is most likely tetanus until proven otherwise; get the person to the hospital,” recommends Dr. Sintieh Ngek, Medical Doctor at Healthlane, a US-based preventive healthcare platform with a branch in Cameroon.
“It is a bacterial infection caused by the bacteria Clostridium terani,” Dr. Sintieh said.
The medic explained that the tetanus bacteria is found in soil, dust and manure, and can be transmitted from cuts or puncture wounds from (usually sharp) contaminated objects.

Vaccination : Most Effective Prevention Means

Vaccination is the best way to protect newborns and mothers against tetanus. Good hygiene is also a preventive measure.
“Those who get the infection, need hospitalization in a dark room and managed using antibiotics.” Dr. Shintieh Ngek explains

The number of doses recommended by the Expanded Program on Immunization in Cameroon is based on documented protective immune response.

Symptoms of the disease according to the World Health Organisation include: Muscle spasms often in the back, abdomen and extremities, sudden painful muscle spasms often triggered by sudden noises, trouble swallowing, seizures, headache, fever and sweating, and changes in blood pressure or fast heart rate.
“People who recover from tetanus do not have natural immunity and can be infected again,” says WHO.

Figures from the UN health agency reveal that about 34,000 newborns died from neonatal tetanus in 2015, a 96% reduction since 1988, largely due to scaled-up immunization.

“In 2016, 86% of infants worldwide were vaccinated with 3 doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) containing the vaccine,” WHO said.

It adds that a total of six doses of tetanus vaccines – three primary and three booster – are required to attain lifelong immunity.

 

Kathy Neba Sina

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