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ummmm | 13:53 Sun 06th Mar 2011 | Body & Soul
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Does tetanus jabs last before you need a booster?

I thought it was 10 years but just double checking because my cousin got bitten by a dog this morning...
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It is 10 years.

//Tetanus can be prevented by vaccination with tetanus toxoid.[11] The CDC recommends that adults receive a booster vaccine every ten years,[12] and standard care practice in many places is to give the booster to any patient with a puncture wound who is uncertain of when he or she was last vaccinated, or if he or she has had fewer than three lifetime doses of the vaccine. The booster may not prevent a potentially fatal case of tetanus from the current wound, however, as it can take up to two weeks for tetanus antibodies to form.[13] In children under the age of seven, the tetanus vaccine is often administered as a combined vaccine, DPT/DTaP vaccine, which also includes vaccines against diphtheria and pertussis. For adults and children over seven, the Td vaccine (tetanus and diphtheria) or Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis) is commonly used//
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Brilliant...just checking. Thanks...
it depends how old he it. Having recently suffered a very deep dog scratch, at the minor injuries unit i was told that at my age (37) if i'd had all my childhood vacs, tetanus would now be covered for life UNLESS i was in an area where tetanus was particularly rife or the wound was incredibly mucky.
10 years is the norm, we've just had our boosters. If he's gone to hospital, they may well give him another one as tigger suggests.
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She got bit on the arm. She's 26...but had her booster about 2 years ago. Where she works she gets bitten quite a lot...by people though..!
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Well she's just been to the hospital to see my Grandad. The nurse took a look at it and thinks it could be infected so she's off for anti-biotics...

Thought it would be a bit soon for an infection to show....
My last cat bite got infected and hurt like hell - my doctor said that at my age I probably had built up an immunity and didn't need a tetanus jab. I just wanted painkillers and antibiotics.

Hope your cousin and the dog are okay - I hope that it was an accidental bit and not an attack.
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It was an attack...she came out of her boyfriends house and the dog bit her. She didn't know who it belonged to.

She's ok....
Glad to hear shes ok. I've been scratched loads of times by my cats and I can't remember the last time I had a tetnus booster. Think it was in '98 before I went to Kenya.
I think it's 10 years. I was brought up to believe that cuts sustained in the garden should be taken seriously, yet when a rusty piece of metal cut my foot open last year and I went to A&E they laughed at me when I mentioned tetanus!
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I cut my finger years back.... apparently I should have gone to A&E but I didn't....The first thing the nurse did was check for tetanus...so I had jabs...all I wanted was pain killers..
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haha...no...she works in a mental hospital :-)
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we were recently told at out surgery that tetnus boosters are no longer considered necessary as my husband is disabled and cant do gardening anymore ! also by the Rosa Clebb/baglady locum doctor,when we said but we have animals what about a cat or dog scratch she went into a tirade about stupid english and their animals !!!! I complained and she hasnt been back so far !

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