Does a shredded arm from a 13 week old rabbit REALLY warrant a tenanus injection?

[earlgrey]

I posted earlier about this, but having spent most of last night in A&E I'm wondering if it's really necessary. Reluctant to make appointment with GP - at least last night H was here to look after dds.

Any thoughts? TIA

If you're due a booster then yes, you really do want to make that appointment. Tetanus is serious.

Its not necessaraly what has cut you, its what crap gets into an open wound, my sister scratched her leg on thorns when she was 13, 1 week later she was fighting for her life with blood poisoning.

don't know but it definitely warrants a rabbit casserole

also read this dh is stil off work.

I got bitten by a mouse which i was rescuing from my cats a couple of weeks ago. Let it go, washed area with anti-bac soap and put antiseptic on. Spoke to my Dr who said that they tend not to do anti-tetanus jags now if you had them when you were younger. I am fine but if you are unsure you just kep an eye out for septecaemia symptoms - red line travelling up from area, sweating, feverishness, weakness, blurred vision and nausea.

Blimey, TE, that sounds awful. Thanks for your advice.

I got it done yesterday - only the nurse couldn't jab me for tetanus - it had to be tetanus, polio and diptheria. "That's the way we do them now".

Given that it was the diptheria vaccination which (according to Ma) gave me febrile convulsions from 3mo to 9yrs, I'm feeling more that a little worried ....

I had one for a dog bite last year. The nurse said they they only usually give them now if you haven't had the full childhood doses (5 I think she said). I was pretty sure I'd had mine and I've definitely had an adult one too. She jabbed me all the same as it was a farm dog and they can carry all manner of nasties apparently.

our drs surgery dont give tetnus anymore as they say that the new govermnet criterier is that if you had all of your jabs as a child then you dont need anymore as you are fully covered for tetunus. and if i went everytime i got bitten or scratched by a rabbit id never be out of there lol.

I was told by GP and hospital that tetanus only lasts for 5 years. Since I don't ever remember being innocualted for anything - except a visit to China 20 yrs ago - I accepted their advice. What strange, conflicting advice you get from these 'professionals'.

Hmm. The problem is maybe that you need five doses of vaccine to become immune. If you can't recall how many you've had, or there's no documentary evidence I should imagine they'd just give you a booster anyway.

IIRC the policy in Scotland was to give a Tetanus booster every 10 years. I don't know how many I got in childhood but it's perfectly possible that you wouldn't have had all five by the time you were say 30.

Presumably though the new advice is based around standard vaccination schedules so GPs should know how many you should have had depending on your age.

This gives the schedule so if you followed it you should have had all 5 by 18.