Tetanus & Mercury

[dinahx]

Hi there!
Normally I would only post in I'm Not Vaccinating, because we are Religious Objectors, but I have a general question:

When my DS was very young I was pressured by a Ped into giving him one dose of DTaP. He had a severe reaction, and the package insert as well as our Ped advised us to discontinue the series based on his reaction. It was the classic 'DTaP scream'. This is thought to be caused by the aP part right?

Anyway, I am very comfortable not vaccinating except in the case of a puncture wound, I would definitely bring him to the ER for the Tetanus toxoid. BUT the Tetanus Toxoid still contains Mega-Mercury according to my information. This is utterly and completely unacceptable to me, and I feel like I would be stuck between harming my son and harming my son, kwim?

So does anyone know, is there a DT or a T available without mercury that I could get him before the spring to avoid having to get Mercury in the heat of the moment??? Would you risk giving DT if there had been a past severe reaction to DTaP???

I am a little lost and just want a mercury free option to protect my son in the case of a severe puncture wound. Maybe when Obama gets in office he will finally force ALL Thimerisol to be removed but what until then?

Please, pro-vaxies don't post to this thread about how I should be vaxing or anything, I am not interested in that perspective, just how I can deal with a potential Tetanus issue w/o Mercury exposure.

[ttcintexas]

Not the info you are asking for, but my homeopath said that there are two remedies that can be given like the TIG (i.e. if you have a puncture wound you think may result in Tetanus). I believe that they are Ledum and Hypericum. She said you can give both. That is likely what I would do in the event of a questionable injury.

[Gitti]

Would you risk giving DT if there had been a past severe reaction to DTaP???

I would not.
You would be taking a chance with injecting a toxin that has caused a severe reaction and may do the same again vs. a situation your child many never in his whole life get into.

I have never had a tetanus vaccine and I am past 60 yo., have a vegetable garden that I enhance with horse manure from time to time, have thorny roses and yet have never worried about tetanus. My mother, grandmother and all our ancestors, as well as yours, never had a tetanus vaccine and I bet in your whole family tree there is not one death due to tetanus.

Tetanus is only a problem in some (very, very few) old people. And even then, it has to be people who are either diabetic or have some other disorder that causes vasal constriction.

Young people have never had tetanus. It is not a concern because they bleed easily. If there is no blood, it has to be exposed to the air.

Get informed about tetanus then you won't be worried.

btw, why are you not worried about botulism in a deep puncture wound? It is just as deadly and can happen at the same rate. You know why, because no one has instilled that fear into you. And why not? Because they don't have a vaccine to sell for it.

Do some research on botulism and deep wounds. You'll see that it is just as dangerous.

Both toxins are not a danger for kids or even adults. There are such few old people affected from it that it's not even a worry for them. The chance of getting hit by a lightening is much greater and yet you don't live in fear of that happening, do you?

I am a little lost and just want a mercury free option to protect my son in the case of a severe puncture wound. Maybe when Obama gets in office he will finally force ALL Thimerisol to be removed but what until then?

Not a chance! He got huge funding from big Pharma. He is bought and paid for fully and completely. Not one shred of hope there.


Educate yourself about what the real dangers in life are. Tetanus is not one of them. Otherwise we would have died out a long time ago because tetanus spores are EVERYWHERE and always will be. Tetanus should just not be a worry.

[PGTlatte]

I believe there is a single-dose preservative-free DT available but I don't know how easy it is to find.

[alegna]

Tetanus is and has always been, incredibly rare.

Even rarer in children.

You have quite a bit higher of a chance of getting struck by lightening than contracting tetanus.

I wouldn't consider tetanus a worry at all in a child short of a SEVERE burn situation (with a large portion of the body involved) or a traumatic accident involving extensive crushing injuries.

-Angela

[Fyrestorm]

One other thing to consider...because of your religious objection, would you have a problem with TIG as well since it contains human blood products?

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by alegna

Tetanus is and has always been, incredibly rare.

Even rarer in children.

You have quite a bit higher of a chance of getting struck by lightening than contracting tetanus.

I wouldn't consider tetanus a worry at all in a child short of a SEVERE burn situation (with a large portion of the body involved) or a traumatic accident involving extensive crushing injuries.

-Angela

I echo this....of all the things to be concerned about Tetnus is NOT one of them! Educate yourself about tetnus and you willnot have fear anymore. Good wound care if what is important with puncture wounds.

[amnesiac]

DT is available BUT it may not be something that most places keep in stock. You might find some of this helpful:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=947792
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=830043

[newmum35]

It is possible he reacted to the Tetanus portion and not the aP ... I wouldn't risk finding out by giving him another one... not worth it. He may NEVER need a tetanus shot but IF he does, he may be many years older and would handle the mercury issue much better than a young infant would.

[williamsmommy2002]

I agree the reaction could be to the tetanus part of the vaccine. My brother has had anaphylactic reactions to the tetanus vaccine. Both the horse and human serum back in the 70's. I would not risk it for an almost nonexistant chance of contracting tetanus.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by newmum35

It is possible he reacted to the Tetanus portion and not the aP ... I wouldn't risk finding out by giving him another one... not worth it. He may NEVER need a tetanus shot but IF he does, he may be many years older and would handle the mercury issue much better than a young infant would.

:

I'm allergic/reactive to the tetanus portion. It's more common than you think.

-Angela

[MamaKalena]

We just took DS in for DTap because he was bit by a dog and it punctured the skin. He is unvaxed excecpt for 3 rounds of DTap when he was under 1 year old. Our naturopathic doc told us that the non-DTap tetanus shot contains mercury otherwise we would have done just the tetanus.

She told us that she could not let us leave the office without letting us know that she believes he truly needed a tetanus shot. I really trust her and everything she told us about tetanus. Can someone point me to good info explaining why exactly tetanus shots are not needed in the event of a puncture wound?

[Fyrestorm]

If tetanus was really a concern for this injury, they would have offered the TIG (tetanus Immune globulin) Your son was either up to date with tetanus and didn't need one or if he was out of date, a vaccine would not make a difference since it would not work quickly enough to make a difference with the current injury.

I think you were duped!

:::looking for the link to this info::::

http://www.vaccinetruth.org/page_8.htm

[spero]

Originally Posted by MamaKalena

We just took DS in for DTap because he was bit by a dog and it punctured the skin. He is unvaxed excecpt for 3 rounds of DTap when he was under 1 year old. Our naturopathic doc told us that the non-DTap tetanus shot contains mercury otherwise we would have done just the tetanus.

She told us that she could not let us leave the office without letting us know that she believes he truly needed a tetanus shot. I really trust her and everything she told us about tetanus. Can someone point me to good info explaining why exactly tetanus shots are not needed in the event of a puncture wound?

A tetanus shot wasn't needed because it wouldn't have done any good, in the rare chance your kid actually contracted tetanus. A knowledgeable doc without an agenda would have offered TIg.

Originally Posted by Fyrestorm

If tetanus was really a concern for this injury, they would have offered the TIG (tetanus Immune globulin) Your son was either up to date with tetanus and didn't need one or if he was out of date, a vaccine would not make a difference since it would not work quickly enough to make a difference with the current injury.

I think you were duped!

:

[MamaKalena]

Originally Posted by spero

A tetanus shot wasn't needed because it wouldn't have done any good, in the rare chance your kid actually contracted tetanus. A knowledgeable doc without an agenda would have offered TIg.

We were told that there was a chance the bite wound could carry tetanus spores and that we would need a tetanus shot w/in 48 hours. Why would a tetanus shot not have helped in this case? And what is TIg? Sorry if I sound ignorant, but I really do trust our doc and she has been very knowledgable about vaccines and ok not vaccinating thus far.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by MamaKalena

We were told that there was a chance the bite wound could carry tetanus spores and that we would need a tetanus shot w/in 48 hours. Why would a tetanus shot not have helped in this case? And what is TIg? Sorry if I sound ignorant, but I really do trust our doc and she has been very knowledgable about vaccines and ok not vaccinating thus far.

Total BS. I have *never* heard of a tetanus case from a bite. Theoretically possible... but highly unlikely.

IF tetanus is a serious concern, the appropriate treatment is a tetanus immuglobulin injection (Tig) FOLLOWED by a vax.

-Angela

[runes]

Originally Posted by MamaKalena

We were told that there was a chance the bite wound could carry tetanus spores and that we would need a tetanus shot w/in 48 hours. Why would a tetanus shot not have helped in this case? And what is TIg? Sorry if I sound ignorant, but I really do trust our doc and she has been very knowledgable about vaccines and ok not vaccinating thus far.

According to the vaccine/immunoglobulin manufacturers, given that your son was vaccinated less than 5 years ago with 3 doses, no intervention with either a tetanus vaccine (OR tetanus immunoglobin) was necessary. Thorough cleaning and wound care would have been the appropriate course of action. Perhaps you can point your ND towards the info about this so that she can be updated, because she was wrong.

http://www.talecris-pi.info/inserts/BayTet.pdf

[FernG]

If immunity from a tetanus vaccine has worn off or if one has never been vaccinated, it will take about 2 weeks for a tetanus shot to create immunity. This is longer than it takes tetanus spores to germinate and produce toxins which cause tetanus infection symptoms (lockjaw, etc).

If you still have immunity from the last tetanus shot, then you obviously don't need another tetanus vaccine.

If you do not have any immunity, then you need to get the tetanus immunoglobulin (TIG) after a severe injury resulting in dead tissue. This a blood product made from the antibodies in the blood of people with tetanus immunity. It will act quickly and prevent the tetanus spores from germinating and releasing the tetanus toxin.

[spero]

Originally Posted by MamaKalena

We were told that there was a chance the bite wound could carry tetanus spores

Originally Posted by alegna

Theoretically possible... but highly unlikely.

Why would a tetanus shot not have helped in this case? And what is TIg? Sorry if I sound ignorant, but I really do trust our doc and she has been very knowledgable about vaccines and ok not vaccinating thus far.

Like PPs have said, the vax wouldn't be effective immediately and wouldn't be of any use if tetanus had actually been contracted. Vaxes aren't treatment. The proper treatment would be tetanus immune globulin. They add on the vax for future immunity.