What should you know about tetanus fever?

Tetanus develops when bacteria in a wound produce a toxin that affects the nervous system. The illness is recognised mainly by increasing muscle stiffness and spasms, often starting around the jaw and then involving the neck, back, abdomen, or limbs. Fever and sweating can accompany the illness, but their presence or absence does not confirm or exclude tetanus. Symptoms can appear after an injury that seemed minor, and the wound may no longer be obvious by the time symptoms begin. A clinician will consider the wound, vaccination history, examination findings, and other possible causes of fever.

If you have a fever after an injury, check the wound for increasing redness, swelling, warmth, drainage, or worsening pain and arrange medical assessment. Fever alone usually has many possible causes, so do not diagnose tetanus from temperature alone. Tell the clinician whether the injury involved a puncture, soil, saliva, burn, crush, or foreign material, and whether you know when your last tetanus vaccine was given. Keep the wound clean and avoid sealing a dirty wound under a tight covering.

Go to an emergency department immediately for jaw tightness, difficulty opening the mouth, trouble swallowing, repeated painful spasms, marked stiffness, or any breathing difficulty. Seek prompt wound advice when vaccination is incomplete or uncertain, even without fever. Emergency symptoms can progress quickly, and waiting for a higher temperature can delay treatment.

Ask whether your fever pattern suggests a wound infection or another illness, whether you need a tetanus booster or immune globulin, and which changes in the wound require review. Mention medicines you take and any recent vaccination records.