How Can I Prevent Tetanus? When you hear “tetanus,” you might relate it to stepping on a rusty nail; however, many injuries can lead to tetanus, and rust doesn’t need to be involved. Tetanus is a ...

Tetanus (lockjaw) is a dangerous nerve ailment caused by the toxin of a common bacteria, Clostridium tetani. You can find these bacterial spores everywhere, but mostly in soil. They're also found in ...

Depending on when your last tetanus shot was, a doctor may recommend getting a booster shot within 48 hours of a nail puncturing your skin, especially if the nail was dirty. Stepping on a nail can be ...

Scheduled tetanus shots over a person’s lifetime can prevent tetanus. If a person has a dirty wound and is unsure if or when they had the vaccines, a doctor can administer a tetanus booster while ...

A small wound may seem harmless, a scrape from gardening, a minor cut on a rusty surface, or even a bite from a pet. Often, we clean it, slap on a bandage, and carry on with our day, never giving it a ...

Rust does not cause tetanus. This notion stems from the oft-repeated claim that stepping on a rusty nail will give you the disease. There are valid scientific reasons, discussed below, for using a ...

The symptoms of tetanus may become evident any time for a few days to six weeks after the initial infection with Clostridium tetani bacteria. However, the standard incubation time is between five and ...