{"id":16163,"date":"2026-05-07T17:17:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T22:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/?post_type=jtf_topics&p=16163"},"modified":"2026-05-07T17:20:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T22:20:33","slug":"do-people-really-need-tetanus-boosters","status":"publish","type":"jtf_topics","link":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/jtf_topics\/do-people-really-need-tetanus-boosters\/","title":{"rendered":"Do people really need tetanus boosters?"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row source=”” text=”Clinical Trials” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” google_fonts=”font_family:Abril%20Fatface%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” link=”” css=”.vc_custom_1708910874436{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”The Claim:” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text css=””]A\u00a0viral video<\/a>\u00a0claims tetanus shots are unsafe, not very helpful, rarely needed, and that taking vitamin C is a better way to prevent or survive tetanus.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”The Facts:” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text css=””]\n

Tetanus, or lockjaw, is a disease caused by the toxin produced by the Clostridium tetani bacteria. The bacteria are often in dirt and soil, not just in manure, like the video claims. Tetanus can cause severe, painful muscle spasms and rigidity, primarily in the jaw and neck. That’s why it is called “lockjaw.” Even with treatment, it can be fatal in about 10% of people who have it.<\/p>\n

The bacteria are anaerobic, which means that they cannot survive in oxygen. When oxygen is present or the environment isn’t best for their survival, the bacteria will form spores and go dormant until conditions improve. The spore can happen because of the oxygen.<\/p>\n

At one time, the toxin was made using a mix that included Beef Heart Infusion. But for the past 20 years, companies have used other options made from plants. The screenshot in the video came from a\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0that is more than 20 years old. That study showed a different mix that does\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0have a risk of mad cow disease and does\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0have a risk for people with dairy allergies.<\/p>\n

The post also speaks to Vitamin C and cites\u00a0Klenner<\/a>\u00a0and \u201cother modern reports.” This\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0concludes that \u201csingle, non-randomised, poorly reported trial of vitamin C as a treatment for tetanus suggests a considerable reduction in mortality. However, concerns about trial quality mean that this result must be interpreted with caution and vitamin C cannot be recommended as a treatment for tetanus on the basis of this evidence\u201d<\/p>\n

In the end, before the vaccine, there were still hundreds of cases of tetanus per year with an over 10% fatality rate. Since 1947, reported tetanus cases have\u00a0declined<\/a>\u00a0more than 95%, and reported deaths have declined more than 99%. Get your tetanus booster![\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row source=”” text=”Clinical Trials” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” google_fonts=”font_family:Abril%20Fatface%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” link=”” css=”.vc_custom_1708910874436{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”The Claim:” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text css=””]A\u00a0viral video\u00a0claims tetanus shots are unsafe, not very helpful,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"parent":0,"template":"","jtf_topic_subjects":[354,355,204,201,218,353],"class_list":["post-16163","jtf_topics","type-jtf_topics","status-publish","hentry","jtf_topic_subjects-allergies","jtf_topic_subjects-clostridium-tetani","jtf_topic_subjects-dtap","jtf_topic_subjects-tetanus","jtf_topic_subjects-vaccine-safety","jtf_topic_subjects-vitamin-c","entry","no-media"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/16163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/jtf_topics"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/16163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16164,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/16163\/revisions\/16164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"jtf_topic_subjects","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topic_subjects?post=16163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}