the tetanus has not yet disappearedin France and still kills. The last weekly epidemiological bulletin from the French public health agency reports on the persistence of this infectious disease in France. Between 2012 and 2017, 35 people were infected with tetanus spores in the territory. Eight people died. During this period, among these 35 declared cases, 5 were infected in 2012, 10 in 2013, 3 in 2014, 9 in 2015, 4 in 2016 and 4 in 2017, i.e. an incidence of declared cases of between 0.05 cases and 0.15 cases per million population, the report said.
Tetanus is an acute, often fatal infectious disease caused by an extremely potent neurotoxin produced by Clostridium tetani. This bacillus enters the body through a wound. In France, contracting this toxi-infection has become exceptional because vaccination, compulsory for infants since 1940, makes it possible to prevent the disease.
Public Health France specifies that these cases could have been avoided thanks to vaccination. “All of these cases and deaths could have been avoided by better application of the tetanus vaccination schedule and, in the event of a wound, by the vaccination and the administration of specific human immunoglobulins according to the recommended protocol”.
Compulsory vaccination before the age of 18 months
Since June 1, 2018, vaccination against tetanus has been included in the list of 11 mandatory vaccines(like whooping cough, hepatitis Bthe measles in particular) to be administered before the age of 18 months for any child born from 1 January 2018. In infants and children, the vaccination schedule provides for two doses two months apart from the age of 2 months, then remindersat the ages of 11 months, 6 years and between 11 and 13 years. Boosters are given in adulthood at ages 25, 45 and 65, then every 10 years from age 75. For unvaccinated adults, the primary vaccination comprises two doses two months apart, with a booster one year later, then administration of boosters at the ages provided by the vaccination scheduleI.
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