Health Tips- People suffering from tetanus will experience cramps in the jaw which will spread to the abdominal muscles, upper arms and thighs. these symptoms can occur several days or months after the tetanus bacteria are exposed.

If you have internal injuries with soil and dust contaminated you should not underestimate the threat. because tetanus bacteria can survive there for years.

Clostridium tetani bacteria are bacteria that can live long in soil or animal waste and dust. these bacteria can enter the body through wounds.

When the bacteria enters the body, it will produce a neurotoxin protein which acts as a poison for the body’s nervous system, known as tetanospasmin. the emergence of this neurotoxin causes muscle spasms.

So, basically tetanus is Clostridium tetani bacterial invasion into the body due to injury. the source is not just a rusty nail, but all the wounds that later there was an entry of bacterial infection.

If you are hit by tetanus, it can disrupt the flow of blood and lymph systems and disrupt neural activity throughout the body. if not treated promptly, the tetanus can be fatal even could cause death.

How to prevent wounds from becoming tetanus?

Because of the fatal effects to the human body, prevention is very important. according to WebMD, there are two primary ways to prevent tetanus, which are the tetanus immunization and treatment of wounds.

There are two types of immunization which are active and passive immunization, some experts recommends  tetanus immunization booster every 10 years. Although there is evidence to show that tetanus immunization is still effective for a period of more than 10 years.

The second way is to treat the wound properly, because only a small scar on the skin makes it possible to develop into tetanus. because of it, one should immediately wash the wound with running water and soap or an antiseptic and bandage the wound.

If the wound is clean, tetanus injection is recommended if you have not had a booster within the last 10 years. But if the wound is dirty or tetanus-prone, then tetanus injecting booster is recommended if you have not had it within the last five years.

In addition to seizures, the symptoms of tetanus can also be accompanied by difficulty of swallowing, stiffness or pain in the neck, shoulders and back. these spasms can spread to the abdominal muscles, upper arm and thigh.

If you have the symptoms, the patient is required to be hospitalized and given antibiotics to kill bacteria and TIG (tetanus immune globulin). the objective is to neutralize toxins that have been released by the bacteria.

In addition some patients also should receive drugs to control muscle spasms and other treatments to support the functions of vital organs in the body.