Hi, Lissa
Your child CAN get tetanus IF he has some cuts / wound in his mouth. Tetanus is caused by Clostridium tetani. They can be found from dirt, soil, and animal feces.
The genus Clostridium are mostly anaerobics, and most of them survive stomach acids. If your child is getting tetanus booster shot, you have nothing to worry about.
Though you probably want to get him/her checked if he shows some symptoms. Keep in mind there are no ways to test if you are positive for tetanus, unlike other pathogenic bacterias that got into your system. The only way to know if someone has tetanus is if they show symptoms. Usually the primary symptom of tetanus is lockjaw. Spontaneous muscle spasm is the cause of that lockjaw. What's the danger is, because this bacteria attack the motor neurons, responsible for sending signals to skeletal muscles, impaired respiratory muscles is the potential cause of death.
Goodluck
And by the way.... C. tetani may also be present in medical instruments. In some cases, tetanus can be acquired by getting poked with a needle.
Source: Microbiology student
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