While playing outside on a farm in Oregon, a 6-year-old boy fell down and cut his forehead. His parents cleaned and sutured his wound at home, and for a few days, everything seemed all right, according to a new report of his case. But six days after his fall, the boy began crying, clenching his jaw and having muscle spasms. His symptoms got worse, and when he started having trouble breathing, his parents called emergency services, who airlifted the boy to a hospital. [9 Weird Ways Kids Can Get Hurt] There, doctors diagnosed the boy with tetanus — making him the first documented case of the infection in Oregon in more than 30 years, according to the report, published today (March 7) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Tetanus is an infection caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani, but it is preventable thanks to the tetanus vaccine, the CDC says. The boy in the case, however, had not received his tetanus vaccine, nor any of the other vaccines recommended for a child his age, according to the report. A serious and expensive illness When the boy arrived at the hospital, his jaw muscle was spasming, and though he wanted water, he couldn't open his mouth to drink. He was also experiencing a condition called opisthotonus, or an arching neck and back, which got progressively worse. The boy was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), where he was given the tetanus vaccine as well as medication containing antibodies to fight the bacteria. These antibodies had been taken from people who had been vaccinated against tetanus. The boy needed to be cared for in a darkened room with earplugs, because stimulation made his muscle spasms worse, the report said. He was also placed on a ventilator to help him breathe and given medications for his blood pressure and muscle spasms. The boy remained in the ICU for 47 days, followed by several weeks of intermediate care and rehab, the report said. Finally, with a medical bill exceeding $800,000, the boy was able to return to his normal life, which included running and bicycling. "Ubiquitous" bacteria Despite recommendations by doctors to give the boy the second dose of tetanus vaccine along with other required vaccinations for children, the family declined, according to the report. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious-disease specialist at Vanderbilt University who was not involved with the case, said that the boy's infection was "a tragic event that [was] completely preventable." And the parents' decision to not give him a second dose of the tetanus vaccine amounted to a "second tragedy," Schaffner told Live Science. But not all is grim: Save for the occasional anti-vaxxer parents, most children do receive their tetanus shots. And thanks to the vaccine, cases of this infection have decreased by 95 percent and deaths by 99 percent since the 1940s. The bacterium that causes tetanus is "ubiquitous, it's everywhere," Schaffner said. Though often associated with rusty nails, the bacteria don't really have to do with rust — people can be infected by any kind of deep, penetrating wound. Indeed, C. tetani is found everywhere in the environment, including in soil, dust and feces. The only way to protect yourself is to get vaccinated, Schaffner said. What's more, a previous tetanus infection doesn't confer immunity against future infections. The vaccine works in part by combating toxins created by tetanus bacteria, rather than the bacteria themselves. The CDC recommends multiple doses of the tetanus vaccine (that also protects against other infections such as whooping cough) for children: one dose at 2, 4 and 6 months each; one at 15 to 18 months; and one at 4 to 6 years old. Pre-teens should also receive another version of that tetanus vaccine and people should receive tetanus booster shots once every 10 years. Even if you're up to date on your tetanus shots, however, with any kind of intense penetration wound, you should seek medical care to clean and suture it, Schaffner said. And if you haven't had a booster shot in over five years, doctors will recommend you get one, he added. Originally published on Live Science.<doc-sep>A report showed that a 6-year-old unvaccinated boy from Oregon was with tetanus, the state's first case of its kind in nearly 30 years. The young boy contracted the disease after he cut his forehead while playing outside on a farm, according to a report released by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday that details the 2017 case. ADVERTISEMENT The boy’s parents reportedly cleaned and stitched his cut at home. Roughly a week later, the boy began to cry as his limbs involuntarily spasmed and his jaw began to clench tight. After his neck and back began to arch and he started to experience spasms across his entire body, his parents then sought medical help for the child. He was later reportedly airlifted to a medical center nearby, where physicians diagnosed him with tetanus. The young boy was alert and requested water upon his arrival to the hospital, but he was unable to open his mouth. A tube had to be placed in the boy’s windpipe. He was later administrated the tetanus and pertussis vaccine along with tetanus immune globulin. After he was given the medication, doctors placed the boy “in a darkened room with ear plugs and minimal stimulation” as loud noise and light seemed to worsen his condition. In total, the boy required nearly “8 weeks of inpatient care, followed by rehabilitation care, before he was able to resume normal activities,” the CDC said in the report. Excluding the costs of air transportation, inpatient rehabilitation and ambulatory follow-ups, inpatient charges for the boy totaled $811,929. But despite “extensive review of the risks and benefits of tetanus vaccination by physicians,” the boy’s parents declined a second dose of the tetanus-fighting medication and “any other recommended immunizations.” The report about the case was part of the center’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which aggregates discussions and field studies about contagious outbreaks across the globe. The report comes as lawmakers in the United States attempt to tackle what has been considered "a growing public health threat” as measles outbreaks continue to grow across the nation.<doc-sep>A new report from the Centers for Disease Control, citing the Oregon Health Authority, outlines the case of a 6-year-old boy who was diagnosed with the first case of tetanus in 30 years in the state. The child was not vaccinated, and that revelation comes after news of a large outbreak of measles in both Oregon and Washington state, also the result of children who were not vaccinated. In the tetanus case, the precipitating incident occurred in 2017 when the child was cut while playing outside. Summarizing the CDC's recently released finding, ABC News reported that the child was diagnosed after symptoms including lockjaw presented, and he eventually ended up in the ICU for 47 days, and further hospitalization for 10 days after that. The family's total charges for the hospital stay were $811,929, not including air transportation, rehabilitation and follow-up costs, per the report, which noted the average pediatric hospitalization in the U.S. in 2012 cost $11,143. Last week, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) made news when he questioned the idea of mandatory vaccinations. In a Senate hearing on Tuesday, specifically dealing with how vaccination is used to prevent public health catastrophes, Paul equated mandatory immunization with the loss of liberty. "It is wrong to say that there are no risks to vaccines," Paul said in the hearing. "Even the government admits that children are sometimes injured by vaccines." "I'm not here to say don't vaccinate your kids. If this hearing is for persuasion I'm all for the persuasion. I've vaccinated myself and I've vaccinated my kids," he added. "For myself and my children I believe that the benefits of vaccines greatly outweigh the risks, but I still don't favor giving up on liberty for a false sense of security." It was not clear why the sense of security would be "false" if, as Paul said, the vaccines have great benefits. In a comment to Newsweek after the hearing, Paul said his position "is the same that it's always been." He also questioned the concept of herd immunity, resulting in pushback from Sen. Bill Cassidy (La. ), a fellow Republican who is also a physician. "Hospitals commonly require their employees to be immunized, because they understand that herd immunity is important, and if a nurse's aide is not immunized, she can be a Typhoid Mary, if you will, bringing disease to many who are immunocompromised," he explained to Paul. Just one day before that hearing, yet another study found what many others have found: that there is no link between the measles vaccine and autism.<doc-sep>
An unvaccinated 6-year-old child was hospitalized in Oregon for 57 days after contracting the state’s first case of tetanus in almost 30 years, ABC News reports. The boy spent 47 days in the intensive care unit and 10 days in an intermediate care unit after being diagnosed with tetanus, leaving with a bill of almost $1 million in medical costs. ABC writes that “tetanus is caused by bacteria found in dirt that can enter the body through breaks in the skin, and vaccines are the best way to prevent it.” The child got a cut while playing on a farm in 2017 and was treated at home. Six days after the Oregon boy was wounded, he had “episodes of crying, jaw clenching, and involuntary upper extremity muscle spasms,” had arching in his back and neck, and more spasms, according to a report written for the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. He was diagnosed with tetanus when he rushed to a pediatric medical center by helicopter after he had trouble breathing. Doctors had to insert a tube in his trachea and a ventilator when his jaw muscle spasms prevented him from being able to drink water. After his 57 days in the hospital, he was transferred to a rehab center for 17 days. He was able to resume his normal activities after another month. The family now owes the hospital $811,929 and another $11,143 for air transportation, rehab, and follow-up exams. Tetanus cases have decreased by 95 percent and deaths by 99 percent since tetanus vaccines and tetanus immune globulin became widely used. The CDC recommends children receive the DTaP vaccine at 2 months old, 4 months, 6 months, 15 to 18 months, and then at 4 to 6 years old. The boy’s family decided not to give him another DTaP vaccination “and any other recommended immunizations,” after his recovery from tetanus, according to the report.