An Italian girl of ten years remains admitted with a prognosis reserved in the ICU of a hospital in Verona, after having contracted tetanus for not being vaccinated.
The anti-vaccine movement is one of the main health risks for Europeans, and specifically Italy has been suffering from this pain for a long time. Therefore, the authorities announced a few months ago the mandatory vaccination to access schools and nurseries from next year 2019/20.
He contracted tetanus through a knee injury
The girl, who was not vaccinated against tetanus, contracted the disease after suffering a fall which caused a deep knee injury. The impact against the soil was the entrance channel of the bacteria toxin Clostridium tetani, whose infection progresses very fast.
The parents noticed immediately that it was not a superficial wound nor did it look normal, so after a few days they took her to the University Hospital of Verona, where immediately She was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit with a reserved prognosis.
The girl is now in the severe phase of the disease, and is being treated with immunoglobulin therapy to stop the infection. The speed of diagnosis and treatment plays in their favor, but it is not always easy to realize it, so Vaccination is key to avoid this dreaded disease.
In Babies and more From A to Z: All childhood vaccines from 0 to 14 years oldWhat is tetanus?
Tetanus is a very serious disease caused by the contamination of a wound by the bacteria toxin Clostridium tetani. As we can read on the website of the Vaccine Advisory Committee (CAV), the wounds that are most often associated with tetanus are:
- Those contaminated with soil or with human or animal feces.
- Wounds with large areas of skin necrosis
- Animal bites
- Wounds contaminated with pieces of foreign bodies
- Burns
- Bone fractures with wounds
- Freeze wounds
The toxin acts as a venom that affects the central nervous system, causing widespread muscle stiffness, painful spasms, seizures, difficulty breathing and swallowing, fever, sweating, tachycardia and other symptoms that can put the person's life at risk.
Vaccination, the best prevention
Tetanus continues to be a major public health problem in many parts of the world, especially in low socioeconomic countries, where the disease takes thousands of lives a year. But it is inexplicable that in countries where vaccines are available to everyone, we have to regret cases like this.
The CAV remembers to bear in mind that in the case of tetanus there is no group immunity; that is, the vaccinated do not serve as a shield to the unvaccinated, because the only way to prevent the disease is through individual vaccination.
In Babies and more What is group or herd immunity, and how it helps protect people who cannot get vaccinatedThis vaccine, whose protection is practically 100%It can be given as part of the hexalavelent vaccine (combined with diphtheria, polio, whooping cough, Haemophilus influenzae type B and hepatitis B), of the pentavalent vaccine (combined diphtheria, polio, pertussis and Haemophilus influenzae type B), from the trivalent vaccine (combined with diphtheria and pertussis) or combined only with diphtheria.
According to the official calendar, the tetanus vaccine is given in five doses, as follows:
Two doses at two and four months with the DTPa (hexavalent) vaccine, with booster at 11 months.
A fourth dose at six years with the standard loading preparation (DTPa-VPI), preferable to the low antigenic load of diphtheria and pertussis (Tdpa-VPI).
A fifth dose between 12 and 14 years with the Tdpa vaccine.
But in addition to having tetanus vaccination in order, before an injury it is important to wash and cure properly, and if in doubt about the vaccination status, it may be advisable to administer an injection of tetanus-specific gamma globulin.
Without vaccines there will be no school or daycare in Italy
A few months ago we told you that for the next academic year 2019/20, Italy will require the vaccination card for children under six to access schools and kindergartens, and will impose fines of up to 500 euros to parents of children between six and 16 years who decide not to vaccinate.
In Babies and more Obligation of vaccines to access the nursery: how it is in Spain and other countriesAccording to the Italian authorities, this measure has managed to raise almost 95% of the vaccine coverage in the Veneto region, one of which brings together a higher percentage of anti-vaccines. But unfortunately, there are still parents who resist vaccinating their children, putting your health at serious risk (as we have seen in this case) or the health of other children (as we have also seen in other situations).
Via Corriere del Veneto
