Tetanus News and Research

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Tetanus is a severe, frequently fatal disease caused by an exotoxin produced by Clostridium tetani, a bacterium that is found in the environment. Tetanus is not transmitted from person to person. Rather, Clostridium tetani enters the body through an open wound, including lacerations, abrasions and puncture wounds. The toxin causes neuromuscular dysfunction, with rigidity and spasms of skeletal muscles. The muscle spasms usually start in the jaw (which is why the disease is sometimes called "lockjaw") and neck and may spread to many other muscles, leading to generalized paralysis.

Study: Despite substantial progress, many African countries have wide discrepancies in vaccine coverage

Many African nations have made substantial progress in vaccinating children against life-threatening diseases, however, within countries wide discrepancies remain, according to a new scientific study.

12 Apr 2019

Several low-and middle-income countries need more effective child vaccination strategies

A study by the University of Southampton shows that several low-and middle-income countries, especially in Africa, need more effective child vaccination strategies to eliminate the threat from vaccine-preventable diseases.

11 Apr 2019

New study provides overview of potential risks of vaccinating breastfeeding women

In light of the continuing anti-vaccination movement, a provocative new article provides a comprehensive overview of the potential risks of vaccinating breastfeeding women.

11 Apr 2019

Patients suffer when health care behemoths quarrel over contracts

David Lerman, a Berkeley, Calif., lawyer, changed health plans this year only to learn that his new insurer has no contract with the dominant medical provider in his community.

1 Feb 2019

Study finds critically low HPV vaccination rates among younger adolescents in the U.S.

Only about 16 percent of U.S. adolescents have been fully vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) by the time they turn 13, despite national recommendations that call for vaccination at 11 to 12 years of age.

18 Jan 2019

VCU researchers test vaccine against opioid abuse

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers are testing a vaccine against opioid abuse developed by the Scripps Research Institute in California. The vaccine is meant to block the effects of heroin and fentanyl in patients with opioid use disorder.

7 Dec 2018

Progress in meningitis lags far behind other vaccine-preventable diseases, analysis shows

The global disease burden of meningitis remains unacceptably high, and progress lags substantially behind that of other vaccine-preventable diseases, warns a new analysis published in The Lancet Neurology.

15 Nov 2018

Maternal Tdap immunization during third trimester linked with higher levels of pertussis antibodies in newborns

Risk of whooping cough (pertussis) is highest in infants too young to have completed their primary immunization series (6 months old or younger) and they are at highest risk of developing life-threatening complications.

10 Oct 2018

Kids with mild or moderate adverse events following immunization can be safely reimmunized

Children who experience some type of adverse event following initial immunization have a low rate of recurrent reactions to subsequent vaccinations, reports a study in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, the official journal of The European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases.

14 Sep 2018

Researchers report challenges in reducing tetanus mortality

The overall mortality in patients suffering non-neonatal tetanus is high. Efforts to reduce mortality in one sub-Saharan African intensive care unit by implementing a standard tetanus protocol did little to change mortality rates, although they shifted causes of deaths, researchers have now reported in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

31 Aug 2018

New method of cervical cancer screening eliminates Pap test

The United States Preventive Services Task Force has released new recommendations on screening for cervical cancer.

22 Aug 2018

HPV and other adolescent vaccines do not negatively impact fertility in young women

Adolescents who receive recommended vaccinations, including for human papillomavirus, have no increased risk of primary ovarian insufficiency, also known as premature menopause, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in Pediatrics.

21 Aug 2018

Prenatal Tdap vaccination not linked with increased risk of autism in children, study shows

A Kaiser Permanente study of more than 80,000 children born over a 4-year period showed that the prenatal Tdap vaccination (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) was not associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder in children.

13 Aug 2018

Vaccine schedule is a must-have on child’s back-to-school checklist

With the start of the school year just around the corner, it is easy to overlook one of the most important things on any back-to-school checklist - making sure your child is vaccinated. Vaccinations protect children from serious diseases, ultimately protecting families, schools and communities by way of safe and effective immunizations.

1 Aug 2018

Research provides new insights about when booster meningitis vaccines are needed

Scientists are indicating that children in Burkina Faso who were vaccinated against group A meningococcal meningitis and septicemia between the ages of 1-4 years in 2010, could need a booster dose of the vaccine as early as this year to ensure they remain protected.

27 Jul 2018

Outrage over China vaccines scandal

One of the largest vaccine manufacturers in China, Changchun Changsheng Bio-technology Ltd. was found to have falsified reports in connection with production and inspection of around 113,000 rabies vaccines.

23 Jul 2018

Simple tips to treat minor cuts

Cuts from a sharp knife or a piece of glass are very common. They often occur while people are preparing food, washing dishes or even crafting. All it takes is a slip of the knife or a dish breaking, and suddenly there's blood.

10 Jul 2018

WVU researcher aims to produce updated whooping cough vaccine

Before the whooping-cough vaccine came into widespread use in the 1940s, about 9,000 American children died from the infection each year. Today, thanks to the vaccine's efficacy, reported cases of whooping cough have dramatically declined and fatalities have dropped to up to 20 children each year.

18 Jun 2018

Study shows effectiveness of prenatal Tdap vaccine in preventing infant pertussis

A study published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows the effectiveness of the Tdap vaccine for infants whose mothers receive the vaccine during pregnancy.

14 Jun 2018

California hospital giant Sutter Health faces heavy backlash on prices

Cooking dinner one night in March, Mark Frizzell sliced his pinkie finger while peeling a butternut squash and couldn't stop the bleeding.

16 May 2018