DPT: U.S. Adults Need Booster Shot of Diphtheria, Tetanus by Sherri Tenpenny

U.S. Adults Need Booster Shot of Diphtheria, Tetanus

by Sherri Tenpenny DO
Original publisher: www.mercola.com

A recent journal article states that only 60% of American adults have adequate antibody protection to ward off diphtheria infections and only 72% are protected against tetanus.

Tetanus, a sometimes-fatal illness, is caused by toxin-producing bacteria that usually starts after acquiring a dirty cut or wound. The disease is characterized by painful muscle spasms or contractions.

Diphtheria is caused by another type of bacteria that primarily attack the larynx, tonsils and throat. The toxin produced by the bug can damage the nerves and heart.

While most US children receive immunization for diphtheria and tetanus, many adults may not realize that over time the protection provided by the shots can wane.

In the study, 18,045 people aged 6 years and older were tested for the presence of diphtheria and tetanus antibodies in their blood between 1988 and 1994.

The researchers found that 91% of children aged 6 to 11 years were found to have protective levels of diphtheria and tetanus antibodies. However, the number of adults found to have protective levels was another story altogether.

Overall, only about 50% of adults had protective antibodies to both diseases, and among those 70 years and older, only about 30% had protective levels against either of the two illnesses.

Although diphtheria and tetanus occur only rarely in the US, a recent outbreak of diphtheria in the former Soviet Union is a reminder that even a well-controlled infection can re-emerge when population immunity is not maintained.

Since immunity to diphtheria and tetanus decreases with age, doctors should re-immunize patients at 11 to 12 years of age and every 10 years thereafter, as recommended by the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Annals of Internal Medicine May 7, 2002;136:660-666

COMMENT BY DR. SHERRI TENPENNY:

Over the last two years, I have invested more than 2000+ hours investigating the truth about vaccines and I have had some “eye-opening” experiences. Some of my biggest revelations came when I began analyzing the CDC’s information about the tetanus and diphtheria vaccines. Here is some of what I have learned.

Tetanus — the disease and the vaccine

Tetanus is a disease caused by the Gram-positive bacterium Clostridium tetani that exists in soil as a spore. High concentrations can be present if the soil has been contaminated with animal or human feces. In the presence of anaerobic (low oxygen) conditions, the spores can germinate and release a potent neurotoxin, called tetanospasmin, into the bloodstream. Dirty, deep puncture wounds that are contaminated with soil are at greatest risk for infection. Wounds that are gangrenous, or injuries caused by frostbite, crush injuries, and burns are also at increased risk.

The incubation period prior to the onset of tetanus symptoms can take several days to several months, depending on the location of the inoculation. Once the spores germinate, the toxin is released into the bloodstream and travels to peripheral nerves, eventually attaching to receptor sites at the nerve endplates. The result is unrelenting, painful muscle spasm.

The four clinical types of tetanus are generalized, local, cephalic, and neonatal, with generalized tetanus being the most common. This form manifests as the classic spasms which can last from seconds to minutes. Death from tetanus is due to spasm of the vocal cords and spasm of the respiratory muscles, leading to respiratory failure. The highest mortality rate for tetanus is seen in the very old and the very young, but on average, it is generally reported in most literature that the mortality rate is approximately 30%. Recovery can take months but is usually complete, unless unforeseen complications occur ⁽¹⁾.

Yes, you read it right, complete recovery.

It is an article of faith, widely accepted by doctors and patients alike, that tetanus is almost invariably fatal, especially if the person is not vaccinated. This fear is so deeply entrenched that I have personally seen patients dutifully wait in a busy emergency department for hours to get a tetanus shot because they had sustained a superficial cut while washing dishes. Before I knew better, and because the “standard of care” dictates that every cut gets a tetanus shot, I handed these shots out like candy, believing it was better to “over protect” than to risk the development of a “fatal” case of tetanus.

Discovering that most people recover from an acute bout of tetanus was unexpected, but it was disconcerting to find that many of the reported cases of tetanus were in “fully vaccinated” people. A review of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from the CDC called “Tetanus Surveillance—United States, 1995-1997″ ⁽²⁾ revealed unexpected information and facts. However, because this report is bogged down with complicated statistics that must be methodically disentangled, it is no wonder that few are aware of its contents.

The document discusses 124 cases of tetanus reported between 1995 and 1997. Here is what was reported ⁽³⁾:

TABLE 1. Tetanus toxoid vaccination status and deaths among persons with reported tetanus, by vaccination status — United States, 1995-1997