Vaccine Choice Canada Tetanus - Disease & Vaccine Information

Tetanus

Tetanus is caused by a bacterium that can be found in soil, manure, and in the digestive tracts of animals. Tetanus was more common when horses were the main form of transportation, and among wounded soldiers on battlefields. The incidence of tetanus in urban settings today is extremely rare. Tetanus is not contagious and cannot be transmitted from person to person. Tetanus bacteria cannot survive in the presence of oxygen and can only enter the body when a person sustains a puncture wound which has not bled adequately or is protected from direct exposure to oxygen. The risk of contracting tetanus in Canada in children under five years is effectively zero. Almost all cases of tetanus occur in adults, many of whom are intravenous drug users. If not treated properly, tetanus can be fatal.

The Vaccine

The vaccine cannot prevent infection.
The tetanus vaccine is only available as a combination vaccine that contains diphtheria and pertussis (DTaP). It may also be given in combination with vaccines for polio (IPV), haemophilus influenzae B (Hib), and hepatitis B (HB).
Most provinces include a vaccine for at 2, 4, 6, 12 and 18 months old and four – six years. Booster doses with tetanus – diphtheria toxoid vaccine (Td) are recommended every ten years throughout a person’s life.
While Health Canada recommends that pregnant women receive a dose of Tdap vaccine during each pregnancy between 27 and 36 weeks gestation, regardless of a previous history of Tdap vaccine, this recommendation contradicts the information provided by the vaccine manufacturers.

Considerations for the Vaccine Decision

People with deep wounds receive medical care that significantly reduces the risk of tetanus.
The tetanus vaccine contains aluminum, a known neurotoxin.
The vaccine industry has refused to produce a tetanus only product.
The risks associated with combination vaccines have not been tested.
A tetanus immune globulin is available to inactivate the tetanus toxin should one become infected with tetanus.
Receiving a tetanus vaccine at the time of a puncture wound will not be effective in treating the immediate tetanus infection.
As of March 31, 2023, there have been 201,701 adverse events reported to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) in connection with tetanus and tetanus-containing vaccines combined with additional vaccines since 1990. Over 60 percent of tetanus vaccine-related adverse events occurring in children six years old and under. Of these tetanus-vaccine related adverse event reports to VAERS, 3,158 were deaths, with over 86 percent of the deaths occurring in children under six years of age. [55]
A US HHS study acknowledged that less than 1% of vaccine adverse events are reported. [56]
The safety of the tetanus vaccine has not been proven against a true placebo.

For more information: https://www.nvic.org/disease-vaccine/tetanus

References

[55] https://www.nvic.org/disease-vaccine/tetanus/quick-facts

[56] Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System – https://digital.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/docs/publication/r18hs017045-lazarus-final-report-2011.pdf

Vaccine Product Monographs

DTaP-HB-IPV-Hib (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, polio, Haemophilus influenza)

Product: Infanrix Hexa (GSK)

Product Monograph: https://ca.gsk.com/media/6247/infanrix-hexa.pdf (35 pages)

Patient Information sheet:

Manufacturer website: https://ca.gsk.com/en-ca/products/

DTaP-IPV-Hib (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b)

Product: Infanrix-IPV/Hib (GSK)