Important things to know about tetanus

[Retro]

Here's the tldr version: tetanus is deadly and literally everywhere, so make sure to stay up to date with the vaccine which must be taken every decade.

The conversation in which your parents tell you to keep an eye out for rusty nails is basically a rite of passage. They tell you about the dangers of rust; explain the see something, say something protocol for things that look like they could puncture you; and foreshadow the harsh punishment for disobeying—lockjaw.

This advice certainly comes from a good place. But it’s also fundamentally wrong.

This is not to say that tetanus isn’t as bad as parents promise. In North America, the Cleveland Clinic estimates, 10 percent of cases are fatal. In countries with inadequate or inaccessible medical care, the number is believed to be much higher.

Everything you thought you knew about tetanus is wrong

Tetanus really is as bad as parents promise. But rust’s role in the deadly affair has been totally overblown.

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