Tetanus

Everybody should be fully vaccinated against tetanus. The vaccine course is given to children as part of the national vaccination schedule. As an adult you need booster every 10 to 20 years depending on your age. If you get dirty wound or animal bite, always check that your last booster was given less than 5 years ago. Also seek for medical help.

Tetanus is a serious disease

Tetanus can be obtained from even a very small wound, for example from a rusty nail, from deep puncture wounds and for example if a rose thorn punctures the skin deeply or the animal bites a deep wound. Therefore, everyone needs a tetanus vaccination. Tetanus used to be a common life-threatening disease before the vaccinations. Even the smallest amount of poison depresses the muscular nervous system and advanced, untreated tetanus leads to respiratory depression.

The tetanus vaccine is part of the national vaccination programme in Finland. It can be obtained free of charge from your own health center depending your age and vaccination schedule. You can also get a tetanus vaccine quickly and easily from our vaccination clinics. There are three different combination vaccines available. The Dtap -combination vaccine is used for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) and is used as booster vaccination for adolescents and adults. The vaccine works by causing the body to make its own antibodies against these diseases. The Dt-vaccine provides protection against tetanus and diphtheria. This vaccine may be used as booster vaccine for persons who have previously received basic vaccinations against diphtheria and tetanus in accordance with national recommendations. For children and adolescents, the dtap vaccine is always used in the event of an accident. Dtap-IPV -vaccine gives you protection against four different diseases: difteria, tetanus, pertussis and polio. Polio booster is recommended to some travellers. Check our vaccination prices here.