In the Sverdlovsk region, a tetanus-infected son of anti-vaxxers fell into a coma

A five-year-old child from a family of "anti-vaccination" in the Sverdlovsk region contracted tetanus, Interfax reports, citing data from the regional department of Rospotrebnadzor.

“The first case of tetanus in the last 17 years has been registered in the Sverdlovsk region. The child was not vaccinated, as the parents refused to vaccinate for ideological reasons”, - the report says.

While riding a bicycle this summer, the boy fell and got bruises. The parents did not attach any importance to this and did not go to the doctors, postponing the emergency administration of drugs for almost two weeks.

As a result, the baby was taken to intensive care, he was put into a medical coma and connected to a ventilator.

The treatment lasted for several months, the baby could not fully recover from the illness.

“The consequences of the postponed tetanus were serious neurological disorders”, - the Rospotrebnadzor said.

Over the past 17 years, there have been no cases of tetanus in adults or children in the region. Experts explain this by the fact that, starting from infancy, all children were given a comprehensive vaccination with DTP vaccine, which is effective against whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus. She covered babies from three months to four years old. Thanks to the widespread use of the drug in children and revaccination in adults, none of the inhabitants of the region had tetanus.

Doctors note that the tetanus pathogen can enter the body from the soil and the external environment through damage to the skin and mucous membranes due to domestic injuries.

If you do not seek help in time and do not take action, tetanus causes severe damage to the central nervous system and can be fatal.

When infected with tetanus, the patient first begins to have spasms. Then it becomes difficult for him to open his mouth, the work of the muscles of the back, abdomen and limbs is disrupted. It usually takes 6 to 14 days from the moment of injury to the development of overt symptoms. Immunity after an illness in humans is not preserved, and vaccination remains the only effective method of protection.

Tetanus is not spread from person to person.