What should you know about vaccination against tetanus?

Tetanus bacteria can enter through punctures, cuts, burns or wounds contaminated with soil or debris. The toxin can cause painful muscle stiffness and spasms, including the jaw stiffness known as lockjaw. Vaccination prepares the immune system to neutralise the toxin. Protection may need routine doses and, after some injuries, a booster or additional treatment depending on the wound and recorded vaccination history.

Rinse the wound under clean running water, remove visible dirt gently, and cover it with a clean dressing. Contact a healthcare service promptly for a deep, puncture or heavily contaminated wound, especially if you cannot recall your vaccination history. Tell the clinician when the injury happened, what caused it, and when your last tetanus dose was given. Do not close a dirty wound yourself.

Get urgent assessment for severe pain, spreading redness, swelling, pus, fever or a wound caused by a bite or embedded object. Emergency help is needed for jaw stiffness, trouble swallowing, painful muscle spasms, breathing difficulty or rapidly worsening illness. Tetanus symptoms can develop after the injury has healed, so an apparently small wound does not remove the need to check vaccination protection.

Ask whether your wound needs cleaning, a booster dose or other preventive treatment, and how your vaccination record affects the decision. Check how to change the dressing and which signs of infection should trigger review.