Do you know what happens if you are exposed to tetanus and you aren’t immune and don’t get a tetanus shot?
“…an 8-year-old boy died of tetanus 12 days after his parents refused to grant their home physician permission to give antitoxin when the boy sustained a puncture wound of the foot from a nail.”
Clinical Experiences with Tetanus: 91 Cases
Tragically, there is a good chance that you could die.
That Time Parents Refused to Let Their Child Have Tetanus Antitoxin After He Stepped on a Nail
Of course, you might not die.
You might end up in the ICU for a few months.
And yes, there have been many of these recent stories, including:
a 12-year-old unvaccinated boy in Columbia developed tetanus after suffering a puncture wound and required intensive management (2026)
an unvaccinated child in the United States developed tetanus after suffering a compound ankle fracture from riding electric scooter and was hospitalized for eight days (2024)
an unvaccinated child in the United States developed tetanus after suffering a knee puncture from animal bone and was hospitalized for 16 days (2024)
an unvaccinated child in the United States developed tetanus after suffering a crush foot injury from a horse hoof while barefoot and was hospitalized for 45 days (2024)
an unvaccinated 10-year-old in Minnesota without a history of visible wounds who ended up in the ICU and was hospitalized for a month before being sent to inpatient rehabilitation (2024)
an unvaccinated boy in Israel was hospitalized in the ICU after developing tetanus after a fall (2024)
an unvaccinated teen in Turkey who developed tetanus after injury his hand while carrying construction materials. (2023)
an unvaccinated 10-year-old in Texas without a history of visible wounds which resulted in a 1-month stay in the pediatric intensive care unit and ultimately requiring a tracheostomy tube. (2020)
an unvaccinated 2 1/2- year-old boy in the Czech Republic who developed tetanus after inserting a small button battery in his nose, which led to a deep erosion in the nasal mucosa. He required mechanical ventilation and spent five weeks in the hospital, with mild long-term sequelae persisting for five months. (2021)
an unvaccinated boy in Oregon spent nearly two months in the ICU after cutting his forehead on his family farm (2019)
an unvaccinated 10-year-old in Italy fell and skinned her knee and ended up in the ICU (2018)
an unvaccinated 10-year-old in Sardinia, Italy who cut his forehead after crashing his bike (2017)
an unvaccinated 7-year-old in Australia who cut her foot while playing in the garden (2017)
a 22-month-old in Australia (2017), their first case in a child since 2000.
an unvaccinated child in Slovenia, their first case in 20 years (2016)
an unvaccinated 6-year-old in Ontario who was in the ICU (2015)
an unvaccinated 7-year-old in New Zealand who developed tetanus after getting cut on his foot (2012)
Luckily, these kids survived.
Why?
They got tetanus immunoglobulin and a tetanus shot after they had symptoms of tetanus.
If they didn’t, they died.
So don’t listen to any of the misinformation out there about not needing a tetanus shot after an injury (and tetanus immunoglobulin if you are completely unvaccinated).
Or not needing a tetanus shot before an injury!
Get vaccinated and protected.