A video about immunising to protect against Whooping cough, measles & tetanus.
Source: Ministry of Health
Key points about tetanus and unvaccinated children
- tetanus is an extremely dangerous disease
- only vaccination can prevent tetanus
- if you decide not to vaccinate your child against tetanus, you need to take extra steps to keep your child safe if they have an injury
- if your child is not vaccinated and does have an injury that breaks the skin, please take them to your local emergency department - tell the staff that your child has not been vaccinated
What is tetanus?
Tetanus is a life-threatening condition caused by the bacteria Clostridium tetani in the soil. Tetanus usually develops after a 'dirty' wound but can develop after small or even unnoticed injuries.
Bacteria in the wound produce a toxin. This toxin causes:
- the muscles to stiffen around the jaw, neck, back, chest, tummy, arms and legs
- sometimes, a high temperature and sweating
- nerve irritation, which leads to severe and painful muscle spasms all over the body, and difficulty breathing
Tetanus is serious
Someone with tetanus will be very sick and need to go to hospital. Tamariki (children) and old people are especially at risk.
About 1 in 10 people who catch tetanus will die. In those who survive the disease, recovery can take many months, including time in intensive care.
Who is at risk of tetanus in New Zealand?
There were about 30 tetanus cases (adults and tamariki) in New Zealand from 1997 to 2014. Of the tamariki who have had tetanus in recent years, all were unvaccinated.
If I choose not to vaccinate my child against tetanus, how can I keep them safe after an injury?
If you decide not to vaccinate your child against tetanus, you need to take extra steps to keep your child safe if they have an injury that breaks the skin.
Please go to your local emergency department and tell the staff that your child has not been vaccinated.
What happens in the emergency department, if your child is at risk of tetanus
Clean and minor wounds
In the emergency department, if the wound is clean and minor, hospital staff will need to give your child the tetanus vaccine. This is for the safety of your child. This is less effective at preventing tetanus than vaccination before any injury.
Dirty and deep wounds
If the wound is dirty and deep, your child is at high risk for developing tetanus. They will need tetanus immunoglobulin as well as the tetanus vaccine. Tetanus immunoglobulin is a concentrate of antibodies to tetanus taken from the blood of immunised donors. It is less effective at preventing tetanus than vaccination, but it can help make the disease less severe. It can also help reduce the time your child has the infection.
Preventing tetanus in your child
Only vaccination can prevent tetanus.
You get tetanus from the environment, rather than from other people. For that reason, you cannot rely on vaccination of other people to provide any protection to your unvaccinated child.
Vaccination against tetanus is part of the free vaccination schedule for your child at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 5 months of age with boosters at 4 and 11 years of age (and adults also need boosters). If your child is older than 12 months and unvaccinated, there is a catch-up schedule - 3 doses at least 4 weeks apart.
Free vaccinations for tamariki in Aotearoa New Zealand
See the HealthEd website for a resource that gives details of the National Immunisation Schedule. It lists the range of diseases children can be vaccinated against, and when the vaccinations should take place.
The resource is also available in Cook Islands Māori, Samoan, te reo Māori and Tongan.
Vaccination Videos - Why Vaccinate?
Vaccination Videos - Protecting Your Child From Serious Diseases
Where to go for vaccinations
You usually need to take pēpi and tamariki to a GP practice for their vaccination.
Some pēpi and tamariki can have their vaccination from other services like Māori and Pacific providers or outreach services.
See the Healthpoint website to find vaccination providers in your area.
Can my child have a tetanus-only vaccination?
There is no vaccine for tamariki that protects only against tetanus in New Zealand. It is a combination vaccine.
Is tetanus vaccination safe?
Tetanus vaccination is extremely safe, extremely effective, and necessary to prevent tetanus infection. Talk to your health professional about any questions you may have.
The vaccine contains modified (inactivated) tetanus toxin and no live bacteria. Mild reactions such as pain or redness where the needle went in are common. More general reactions such as headache, fever or tiredness are uncommon. Serious reactions including allergy are very rare.
Read the NZ Herald article about an NZ family's experience of tetanus in their 7-year-old son, in 2012.
Acknowledgements
Adapted from a parent handout 'Tetanus and the unimmunised child', developed by the Infectious Diseases Service, Starship Child Health.
References
Starship Child Health. Clinical guideline: Tetanus prophylaxis. April 2021.
Immunisation Advisory Centre. Tetanus.
