Filling out forms at a doctor’s office is about as fun as sand in your swimsuit. I get it. Sadly, amongst that pile of boring questions, many very very important pieces of information get the volume turned down on them. Like, life-or-death things. “Are you up to date on tetanus?” is a prime example. As you read that, you probably thought “Meh, who cares? I ain’t stepped on any rusty nails.” Because that’s what we taught you. But tetanus is much more than that. It lives literally everywhere and it’s deadly.
A couple of things you should know about Clostridium Tetani: 1) it’s a nasty, dangerous bacterium. And 2) for you biology nerds, it’s a motile, spore-forming, gram-positive rod that’s an obligate anaerobe. (if you’re not a nerd, just read #1 again). It’s located in two main places – all soils and human/animal feces. Sorry to be gross, but this is the ticket you bought…wanna guess what two things are dominant if I swabbed the “germs” on your skin? Yeah. Soil and fecal matter. It’s just on your skin, sitting there. I don’t care if you are Queen Germaphobe of the Clorox Kingdom, that’s just a cellular certainty. So, is tetanus in all soil and feces? No. But there’s always a chance. Blessedly, God gave us this AMAZING deflector shield called “skin.” And it’s working harder, 24/7, 365 than you’d ever expect or deserve. …but if there’s ever a weakness in the shield…germs that were on the surface ready to pounce are like Herschel Walker off the right tackle. In there.
So, while the classic rusty nail scenario is taught, tetanus is a risk with ANY break in the skin. Any at all. This is why we update your tetanus before any surgical procedure. We are about to break the skin, we need to be safe. “So, why the big deal, Dr. Kirk? Doesn’t it just give you lock jaw or something?” Sure. Along with putting you in the hospital and killing you. The mortality rate (chance it kills you) in undeveloped countries is around 52%. In layman’s terms, if you and a friend get tetanus, one of you is gonna get to say ‘hey’ to Jesus earlier than the other. It’s that deadly. And it’s an awful and painful death.
“OMGosh, Dr. Kirk, so what can I do to prevent that?” Well, we ARE a developed country. So, two things. First, the tetanus vaccine is tried and true with decades upon decades of studies showing it’s safety. And you must update this every 5-10 years depending on how at-risk you are for skin puncture. Some of y’all at a quiet desk job? Ten years. Getting shot out of a circus cannon daily? Let’s say five. Discuss your risk with your physician. Secondly, treat any and every break in the skin (not just stepping on rusty nails!) as a risk. Is your tetanus up to date? As an avid outdoorsman I update every five years. Broadheads and treble hooks, skinning knives and spinnerbaits; I’m a target. Don’t shrug this off because it’s lost in a boring clipboard of health history questions. See your local Health Department, get updated and say just “hey” to Jesus over coffee and prayer, will ya?
Yours in Health and Christ, Dr. Kirk
