In Ukraine, 3 cases of tetanus have been detected in the first 5 months of this year, 2 of which were fatal

Cases of the disease are registered every year, statistics for the past year confirm more than 10 cases. There is no collective immunity against tetanus, so vaccination is necessary. UNN reports with reference to the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

Details

Tetanus is an infectious disease that affects the nervous system and causes severe muscle spasms, breathing and swallowing problems. In the five months of 2025, three cases of tetanus infection were recorded, two of which were fatal.

Example:

In Dnipro, a 14-year-old teenager stepped on a rusty nail at home. Doctors tried to save the boy's life for a week, but he died in intensive care.

Reference

Spores of Clostridium tetani bacteria, which cause tetanus, are almost everywhere: in soil, dust, humus. Infection can occur in the following cases:

• working with wood or soil;
• injury with a contaminated object;
• even from a minor scratch.

According to official data, cases of tetanus in Ukraine are recorded almost every year.

In 2024, 12 cases were recorded, twice as many as in 2023.

Tetanus is not transmitted from person to person, so there is no collective immunity against it, so vaccination is the only reliable protection against tetanus. The effectiveness of vaccination against tetanus is 100% (full course of vaccinations), but the acquired immunity against this disease must be periodically renewed, so it is necessary to be vaccinated against tetanus regularly throughout life.

Vaccination of children and adults

For children:

• Starting from 2 months of age, children are vaccinated with a combined vaccine against pertussis, diphtheria and tetanus.

Read more about vaccination of children at link.

For adults:

• Adults need to be vaccinated against tetanus once every 10 years, starting from the age of 16, subject to the Calendar of preventive vaccinations.

For this purpose, the DPT-M vaccine is used against two diseases at once: tetanus and diphtheria

To get vaccinated, you should consult a family doctor - he will conduct an examination and issue a referral.

Let us remind you

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