In daily life, people have many misconceptions about tetanus. In response, a reporter from Science and Technology Daily interviewed relevant experts to introduce scientific protection methods. Misconception 1: Only wounds caused by rusted items can trigger tetanus. Many people believe that only wounds caused by rusted items can trigger tetanus, but this is not the case. Zheng Hui, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters that in daily life, puncture injuries, burns, compression injuries, and animal injuries are common routes of infection. Due to the widespread distribution of Clostridium tetani, which can cause tetanus, in nature, as long as there is a rupture in the skin or mucous membrane, Clostridium tetani has the opportunity to enter the body and multiply in large numbers in an oxygen deficient environment, causing tetanus. ”Jin Hongxu, chief physician of the Emergency Medicine Department of the Northern Theater Command General Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, pointed out that patients with a history of skin or mucosal trauma or damage; Patients with a history of bacterial infections in the skin, mucous membranes, or soft tissues; Patients with a history of digestive tract damage may develop tetanus. Tetanus has a latent period, and infection with tetanus bacillus may not immediately cause symptoms, but the spores can remain latent for several months. Once the disease occurs, it is extremely dangerous. Severe patients may experience laryngeal spasms, suffocation, lung infections, and organ failure, which are highly fatal critical illnesses. Jin Hongxu emphasized that some cases do not have clear injuries or obvious wounds, but if infected with other bacteria, it may also create an anaerobic environment, which promotes the germination and growth of tetanus bacillus spores and the production of exotoxins, forming cryptogenic tetanus. Misconception 2: Getting a tetanus shot or vaccine 24 hours after injury is ineffective. Some people believe that it is necessary to get a tetanus shot or vaccine within 24 hours after injury, otherwise the effect of preventing tetanus cannot be achieved. But is that really the case? Ji Bing, Secretary of the Party Branch and Deputy Director of the Emergency Medicine Center at the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, said, "Although the earlier the injection, the better, as long as the disease does not occur, the injection of 'tetanus shot' or vaccine has a preventive effect. There is no need to worry excessively about time delay." The human immune system has memory and response functions. When tetanus bacilli infection is still in the latent stage, timely injection of tetanus vaccine or vaccine can activate the body's immune memory and rapidly generate a large number of specific antibodies. These antibodies can effectively neutralize the toxins produced by tetanus bacilli before they form in large quantities or bind to nerve tissue, thereby preventing the occurrence of clinical diseases. Even if the injury lasts for more than 24 hours, as long as the illness has not yet occurred, receiving a tetanus shot or vaccine still has preventive significance. The incubation period of tetanus is usually 3-21 days, and once the body recognizes the antigen, the immune system will initiate a response. Although early injection can leave more sufficient reaction time for the immune system, later injection can still enhance the immune response and effectively reduce the risk of disease. Misconception 3: Getting vaccinated against tetanus in childhood can provide lifelong immunity. Some people have received the pertussis vaccine during childhood, but as adults, they believe that they have achieved lifelong immunity after receiving the vaccine, so they do not need to receive tetanus injections or vaccines after being injured. But is this really the case? "Injection of tetanus vaccine can effectively prevent the occurrence of tetanus." Li Dong, chief physician of the Department of Respiratory and infectious diseases of Beijing You'an Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, once introduced that vaccination can make the body produce humoral immune response and specific protective immunity. When exposed to Clostridium tetani again, the body can quickly recognize and initiate an immune response, suppress and eliminate the bacteria, thereby preventing the occurrence of tetanus. He said that in 2024, the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association released China's first "Expert Consensus on the Use of Active Immune Preparations for High Risk Tetanus Population". The consensus points out that China has been using the DPT vaccine since the 1960s and included it in the planned immunization scope in 1978. Although this active immunization adds a "safety lock" to prevent tetanus, Ji Bing pointed out that tetanus vaccines cannot guarantee lifelong immunity, and their antibody levels will decline with age. Conservatively estimating, the optimal protection period after full vaccination can last for 5 to 10 years. If the tetanus vaccine has been fully immunized in the past, regardless of the type of wound, it is necessary to strengthen vaccination if it has been more than 10 years since the last vaccination. If the wound is severely contaminated (such as contaminated with soil, feces, saliva) or has a deeper wound (such as stabbing, crushing, burning, etc.) even though it is less than 10 years old but more than 5 years old, in order to maintain effective antibody levels to prevent infection, it is recommended to promptly strengthen the vaccination of one dose of tetanus vaccine to avoid being unable to resist tetanus bacillus infection due to insufficient antibody levels. It is necessary for some high-risk individuals for tetanus infection to receive booster shots. ”Ji Bing introduced that the "Diagnosis and Treatment Standards for Non Neonatal Tetanus (2024 Edition)" issued by the National Health Commission in 2024 clearly recommends that potential high-risk groups for trauma, such as soldiers, police officers, firefighters, field workers, construction workers, agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery practitioners, athletes, outdoor sports enthusiasts, travelers and chefs, should complete pre exposure tetanus vaccine immunization as soon as possible. For individuals at continuous risk of exposure, it is recommended to receive one dose every 10 years. (New Society)