Do I need a tetanus shot if I get burned by a motorcycle exhaust?

I got burned by a motorcycle exhaust pipe and the burn is oozing fluid. Do I need a tetanus vaccine, doctor? (Cao Thanh Lam, 27 years old, Ho Chi Minh City)

Reply:

Any open wound, scratch or torn skin is a favorable condition for tetanus bacteria to enter the body and cause disease such as burns, scratches, wounds caused by stepping on nails, tree branches... Deep and contaminated wounds have a higher risk of tetanus infection.

The reason is that tetanus bacteria exist in the form of spores, present everywhere such as soil, animal feces, rusty tools such as nails, needles, barbed wire... Spores are resistant to high temperatures, resistant to most disinfectants, and can survive for many years.

Meanwhile, post-disease treatment is often late and the mortality rate is very high. The medical sector has also recorded cases of hospitalization due to tetanus from very small wounds such as: a 48-year-old man was hospitalized, contracted tetanus from a chicken peck; a case of mechanical ventilation due to tetanus from the habit of picking teeth with toothpicks and small branches. To ensure safety, you need to get a tetanus vaccine and clean the wound thoroughly to avoid infection.

Motorcycle burns do not rule out the possibility of tetanus. Source: partzilla — Motorcycle burns do not rule out the possibility of tetanus. Source: *partzilla*

You may need three doses of the vaccine, with the second dose given one month after the first, the third dose six months after the second, and booster shots every five to 10 years. The vaccine has been shown to be up to 95% effective when given on schedule.

If tetanus prophylaxis is complete, only one booster dose of vaccine is needed when there is a large, critical wound, and there is no need to inject tetanus immune serum or globulin (TIG) or tetanus antiserum.

Currently, nearly 130 vaccination centers under the VNVC Vaccination System have more than 40 types of vaccines, preventing nearly 50 infectious diseases in both children and adults, including tetanus vaccine. Adults can be vaccinated against tetanus with the 3-in-1 Adacel vaccine to prevent diphtheria - pertussis - tetanus; 3-in-1 Boostrix vaccine; tetanus vaccine, adsorbed diphtheria (Td); tetanus adsorbed vaccine (TT); tetanus serum.

Dr. Bui Thanh Phong
Medical Management, VNVC Vaccination Center System

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