Hello everyone - a newbie here - i've been lurking long enough - you lot are so interesting - i just couldn't resist joining in - I just wanted to ask does anybody know how often as diggers, weeders and occasional slicers of muddy fingers ;) we should have a tetanus jab and do we have to pay for them?
Thanks....
dunno about the cost but i think you should have one every 10 years?
which means mine is due as i last had one just before i travelled in south america in 1994 (!!)
If you do a search on Tetanus on here,you will find a wide discussion. I had one recently at my local GP and it was free, but you can only now have it as part of a combined jab, but I'm blowed if I can remember what it was ?measles?diptheria?,heaven knows!
Yeah agreed - 10 years + free
I was told by the nurse (when signed on with new doctor) if you're coming into contact with horses (or their doings) you should keep up to date with the jabs as they are the main carriers + tetnus related problems are on the increase.
Don't shoot the messenger for scare-mongering - just passing it on
We had this discussion before and then it was also mentioned by several people that you could only get a tetanus booster as a combined vaccination. The tetanus vaccine is called Tetavax and I just can't imagine you can't get that there.Â
If you don't want a 'coctail' (had to leave the 'k' out hahaha, otherwise it would be changed to 'thingytail), maybe you can ask for a prescription for Tetavax and pick the vaccine up yourself at the chemist then take it back to wherever they can give you the shot.
Tetavax is available in the UK, see link below, click on 'Name' to see who makes or imports it there.
http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims/pharm/tetanvac.htm#SectionTitle:1.4%20Identification%20numbers
Last time I asked my GP about whether I needed a Tetanus booster (sometime last year I think) he said that current medical opinion was that boosters were no longer necessary. It all gets so confusing. I mean, is butter or margarine healthier for you??!!
I had a tetanus jab last year after picking up a joint infection from rose thorns (that'll teach me to try and make my front garden look nice)
It wasn't part of a combined jab - but I was treated at the local hospital because my fingers woulnd't move - and was informed every ten years.
Quote from: Lizard Man on May 23, 2005, 09:14:46
Last time I asked my GP about whether I needed a Tetanus booster (sometime last year I think) he said that current medical opinion was that boosters were no longer necessary. It all gets so confusing. I mean, is butter or margarine healthier for you??!!
Did you tell your GP that you do gardening?
Some people say you don't need a booster and should you have an accident, they can give you a shot then but...................in my opinion it's different for gardeners. It is seldom the abrasions you might get in an accident that put you at risk, it's those tiny puncture wounds (especially with soil around) that close up quickly that are the real meanies and how often doesn't that happen while gardening.
As long as there are reported cases of tetanus, I'm a firm believer in keeping my vaccination updated.
Repeat - 2 gardening ladies died locally through non immunisation.
And each time I have stuck my fork through my wellies - & foot - I've had a jab.
My goodness Tim, was this recently? Still some GP's telling people it is not necessary to have a booster every 10 years?
Each time you stuck a fork through your wellies ................ how often did that happen? They have a saying in Holland: A donkey doesn't bump the same stone twice.
I was also told that there was no need for a booster, the last time I injured myself. That was a huge splinter in my thumb which left a bit behind that got infected.
The nurse did ask when I last had a tetanus jab and I told her it was when I got bitten in the face by a horse, when I was about 11 years old. As I'm now 38 that's a while ago, and she decided a booster wasn't needed :-\
Maybe you look 18 so she figured your booster was only 7 years ago hehehe.
LOL!!!!
She'd already taken my details and knew how old I was!!!! :o
I even asked if she was sure about that, but she seemed positive it would all be fine.........oh well...... ???
Mine gets done every 10 years, *shudder*
I thought it was every 10 years in fact when my son had his the doctor made me have one too!! But this weekend I was bitten by a dog - well I accidently put my arm in his mouth while he was barking (BIG MISTAKE) and although he only just broke the skin I wasn't sure if I should have a tetanus cos it must be about 10 years since the last one. Not wanting to go to A&E and sit for hours I phonedNHS Direct and the nurse said that if you've had all your baby jabs and a booster at school you are covered for life so I got out of that one ;D
Just a bit worrying tho after what Tims said so may ring my own GP tomorrow and double check
Al I can say is that as long as medical professionals contradict each other and cases of tetanus are still reported, I make up my own mind and get a booster every ten years.
The time between Tetanus booster jabs is 10years. The first jab is when you are a baby and I think they now have 3 or even 4 up to the age of almost 5 years, the last of these being included in the pre school, then you have one at school at 15. Some doctors will say you don't need any more after that, others will say that if you do a lot of gardening and are in a particularly bad area then have a booster every 10 years. Unless it has changed recently, I thought the adult booster jab was just that. I hardly dare say that I work at a surgery, but I do and I will ask tomorrow regarding combined jabs.
Some people have their own immunity against tetanus, in fact I have, lucky aren't IÂ ;D
MM
Quote from: ina on May 31, 2005, 18:07:41
Al I can say is that as long as medical professionals contradict each other and cases of tetanus are still reported, I make up my own mind and get a booster every ten years.
That seem to be a pretty safe bet, ina :)
Is it a bit worrying when one doctor says one thing and another one says something else, isn't it? :-\
I'm awaiting the verdict from Merlin's Mum with bated breath :D
OK now, I have asked our practice nurse about this. Apparently the new guidelines state that no routine tetanus boosters are needed after the one at 15 years unless you come into a special risk group. ie you are a professional gardener. Sorry working on your lottie everyday does not count. But if like Tim you put your fork through your wellies and foot then yes you should have a tetanus jab. As would being bitten by a dog, although I wouldn't worry if it was my own dog not that he bites me. This is a joint jab for diphtheria, tetanus and polio and at our surgery there is no charge. I would think the only time a surgery might charge is if you insisted on having a booster simply because it's 10 years since your last one.
I hope this clarifies things :)
MM
Thanks for the up to date info on that - very helpful :)
Thanks MM.
Now, they say every 15 years a booster, unless you belong to a special risk group. What would be the guidelines for those? I think I'll stick to every 10 years as long as I work my allotment at least.
Isn't it strange that many people are advised that tetanus boosters are not needed but at the same time, when they do need one, they also get diphtheria and polio vaccine which they really don't need. I don't like getting foreign stuff in my system to begin with and certainly not when it's known not to be necessary.
I think it's a case of economics. When a surgery orders plain tetanus vaccine, they only use it sporadically and they end up having to dispose of the out-of-date vaccine. The DTP is used more frequently for routine vaccinations. So it's easier to just give the people who need only tetanus the whole sha-bang instead of ordering Tetavax especially for them.
hi ina
I got the impression from our practice nurse that there is no jab for just tetanus. As to whether someone comes within the special risk group, surgeries here would be able to tell their patients whether they fall within that group. It must cut down on cost, as in the past even when we were having a booster every 10 years, if you were bitten by a dog you would more than likely get a tetanus booster even if you were up to date. Don't get me wrong I'm certainly not defending this government of ours, particularly when it comes to the NHS. They feed the public with a lot of figures to get them to believe things are improving. I think it best I say no more!
MM
Feeling slightly better as I realised I had a tetnus booster when I was in my early 20's before travelling to Turkey.....so probably around 10 to 15 years ago. Plus I had one when I was about 15 and was attacked by a neighbours dog......so who knows, maybe I have plenty in my system needle phobe that I am lives in hope!
Oh MM, I hate to sound argumentative but I just don't agree with the distinction between professional gardeners and allotmenteers when it comes to tetanus risk.
As for getting the impression from the nurse that there is no jab for just tetanus, wrong. Tetavax is available in England too but maybe not in that surgery, which could be for the reason I mentioned before.
Tetanus is a serious matter and it's nice of you to get the information and post it here for all of us so we can be better informed.
hi ina
I can only say what the new NHS guidelines are and that is what I relayed in my previous post. People working on a allotment would not be included in the special risk group. It is all guidelines and targets these days. I know I work on that side of things at the surgery. I asked the nurse, if you need a booster is it just for tetanus and I was told no. As long as we are sensible and if you do hurt yourself while on your lottie you go to your surgery to get a tetanus jab there should be no problem. Things are changing in the NHS on a monthly basis at the moment, it's a nightmare ::)
MM
I have just had an after thought, you might be able to get a single tetanus jab but you might have to pay for it.
Hi folks
Well I asked my health visitor yesterday while I was gritting my teeth on my daughers behalf - MMR - jabs for her - took me a long time to be convinced about those :-\ and she said the highest risk group for tetanus infections is and I quote "ladies of a certain age - who garden seriously" ;) She said that all older men were vaccinated before they joined the army during the war but their good old womenfolk weren't!!
Now i'm in my 40's and while she laughed and said perhaps not that certain an age if my jabs werent up to date to book myself in with the practice nurse pronto!!! will i get a smiley face "I was brave at the doctors today sticker" ;D will report back on this one - lol
http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/40024824/
has the 2004 blurb on tetanus.
moonbells
a couple of years ago my mum went for her routine 10 year tetanus booster and had a really nasty reaction to it (although she had always had her boosters until then without any problems). The doctor at the time said that the drug just builds up and up in people and can result in a adverse reaction once you are 'full'. He said that he advises patients to have no more than 3 in a lifetime. I am 34 and have always had my regular 10 year boosters so I guess going on this doctors advice I am done with them now.
Quote from: moonbells on June 02, 2005, 13:28:32
http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/40024824/
has the 2004 blurb on tetanus.
moonbells
Very informative Moonbells, thank you.
After the last discussion on this site I rang my doctor to see if they offered tetanus jabs & what the cost was.
The started by asking what hobbies i had. I explained I did allotmenteering & horse-riding & they said there'd be no problem with getting a jab, especially as my last one was nearly twenty years ago. They don't charge as they're into prevention rather than cure.
All I had to do was make an appointment & try no to run when the nurse showed me the needle!!!!
CC
Quote from: Justy on June 02, 2005, 17:37:43
a couple of years ago my mum went for her routine 10 year tetanus booster and had a really nasty reaction to it (although she had always had her boosters until then without any problems). The doctor at the time said that the drug just builds up and up in people and can result in a adverse reaction once you are 'full'. He said that he advises patients to have no more than 3 in a lifetime. I am 34 and have always had my regular 10 year boosters so I guess going on this doctors advice I am done with them now.
I worked with dogs, and had regular boosters for over 30 years. I never had any side effects from them, just a bit of a sore arm for a couple of days. That was preferable to the once I had the jab in the backside - I couldn't sit for several days - ouch!!!!
I think if you wear gloves while gardening, don't put your fork into you foot (doing this once is unfortunate, but more than once - realyy!!!) and preferably don't prune your fingertip, then the risk of tetanus is minimal. :D
I get stuck with hawthorn cuttings, often old ones, pretty regularly. That must carry a risk I'd have thought.
I'm always getting scrapes and grazes from gardening and recently discussed with our GP keeping the whole family up to date with tetanus. I live in Belgium and the latest policy there is to boost every 5 yrs for people like us and anyone doing agricultural or other work and hobbies that involve contact with soil and animal borne infections. It's free on the grounds that it's cheaper to prevent than cure or cope with loss of life.
:( http://www.immunize.org/images/ca.d/ipcd1861/img0005.htm :(
Aaah, thats so sad :(.
My GPs have contradicted NHSDirect and said to have a booster every 10 years- its time they got together with a coherent policy so we know whats what. Got to be a brave girl now and get a jab but after seeing that picture it makes you realise how important it is.
Quote from: Lizard Man on June 08, 2005, 23:44:37
I think if you wear gloves while gardening, don't put your fork into you foot (doing this once is unfortunate, but more than once - realyy!!!) and preferably don't prune your fingertip, then the risk of tetanus is minimal. :D
You are right but........... I hate wearing gloves while gardening, I'll take a tetanus booster in time.
Last time I had a tetanus jab the nurse said to me 'there, that should see you out now' :o I thought (in view of my age) 'thanks very much'. She must have seen the look on my face as she said 'oh, I didn't mean it like that, it's just that you have had your quota of jabs for your lifetime' ;D :)
As soon as I got an allotment I booked in at my doctors for a jab. I had an Italian friend who pricked her finger on a rose thorn and she died of Tetanus.
Tetanus is carried in the liver of horses and therefore any garden that has had horse manure on it including flower gardens, not just allotments, is probably carrying the virus. It also can stay in the groung for years, so yes you are at risk.Rosemary