Considering tetanus vax...

[earthymato2]

Hello!  Dh and I are considering some selective vaxing with our children, and feel fairly set on the need for a tetanus vax for our two older boys (ages 3 and 8).  Our youngest is only 8 months so we're not doing any at all yet for him. 

I just saw in a thread below that you cannot get a tetanus only vaccine in the US?  I'm just beginning my research at the moment, and was hoping you all could direct me a bit.  Is the DTaP our only option in the US?  Our ped said they are unable to get tetanus only vaccines, but that we should be able to order it through a pharmacy... I'm a bit confused now. 

[mama de dos]

Hi there,

I just started a tetanus series with my otherwise unvaxxed kids as well.  Ds2 has had 2 of the 3 and DD has had 1 so far.  DS1 had the initial series as an infant, then we stopped vaxxing him.  I just recently had him get the booster.

You can sort of get a tetanus 'only' shot in the US.  I say 'sort of' because it's tetanus with the diphtheria component.  Your child's age will determine whether he'll get the TD or the Td.  (the big D is for younger kids, I think, the small d for older kids)

My ped had them stocked in single vial doses, mercury free with JUST the TD, NOT the pertussis component.  I had no problems at all requesting them.  They were great about showing me the labels and everything before they gave them so I could see what they were. 

If you haven't yet, check out Dr Sears's Vaccine Book.  He goes through the different ones available, including manufacturer info, so you can see the options and request specifically what you want.  It was 100% not a big deal here at all, at my mainstream peds office, who tolerate, but don't encourage non-vaxxing.

Hope that helps!

[sbgquilt]

Wondering if you found out anything else - I'm in the same boat right now with my to be 6 year old and wanting to just do tetanus. 

[Bokonon]

I know that tetanus *can* be serious, but it is so rare that I really don't worry about it for my kids.

http://insidevaccines.com/wordpress/vaccine-efficacy-how-often-do-vaccines-work/tetanus/

[elisheva]

We did the TD for my ds2 (here in Canada we also can't get just tetanus for kids) when he turned 2 - he is exceptionally accident prone and we have chickens, hang out at the farm, etc. We're now doing the same for ds1 (he's 4).

[sbgquilt]

Thanks for the link.  Sigh.  Maybe we won't do tetanus.  We haven't done any vaccines yet and the only ones even being remotely considred are tetanus and polio but just can't find enough to convince me to do either yet. 

Originally Posted by Bokonon 

I know that tetanus *can* be serious, but it is so rare that I really don't worry about it for my kids.

http://insidevaccines.com/wordpress/vaccine-efficacy-how-often-do-vaccines-work/tetanus/

[Otto]

I'm pretty sure Sanofi Pasteur TT is still licensed in the U.S.; the trick is finding it, as I think it has to be ordered 10 doses at a time. One thing you could try is calling the local health department, as they sometimes keep lower-demand vaccines on hand and share among offices statewide. (It is thimerosal preserved, BTW.)