Tetanus should I call 111?

[lily1]

I was taking down my shower curtain and it has rusty hooks at the top, when I'd taken them down I noticed they had cut my hand.

I'm not sure when I last had my booster, more than 10 years ago.

Do I ring 111 as its the weekend would they have my medical records?

Thanks worried now!

[Rhiannon.]

Hi :)

I know this was a few hours ago now. I hope you are feeling a bit better.

If you are worried give them a ring. They are really helpful and will have a nurse talk to you (and a doctor if they feel you need it)

If you are worried ring them for advise, though honestly, you are fine. Tetnus is *reeeeeeally* rare in the UK :)

[countrygirl]

No they don't have any access to your medical records out of hours. The advice changed a few years ago for tetanus vacs because they found that having too many was more dangerous than having less. Apparently if you have had initial course of 3 ( most people have this as children) and then a booster you are covered for life or so I was told.

If you cut yourself in soil or animal matter then they would give you an immunoglobin vac as the tetanus vac does not give you immediate cover. My husband cut his thumb under the garden soil and he had not had any tetanus vac since a child so he had the immunoglobin jab and then tetanus vac to bring him up to date.

Tetanus is carried in animal matter outside, horses and cattle etc so your shower curtain will almost certainly never have come into contact with horse poo!

[lily1]

Thank you for your advice.

I think what worried me is that it had gone rusty and I associate rusty metal and a cut with tetanus.

I might give my surgery a ring on Monday if I don't call 111 and ask them if I'm up to date with my booster.

[Chris 614]

Most people associate rusty items with tetanus because we have always heard about "stepping on a rusty nail" and the like causing tetanus. It's not the rust though, it's like the other person said...animal excrement, etc.. Tetanus is very rare. In your country I think I read that there are around 30 people a year who get it. In my country it's around 40 people a year. Imagine the billions of cuts and injuries people get every year. And only that many people actually get tetanus. In the United States the shots are given constantly. As a child I had all of them...And whenever I injured myself and it required medical attention the doctors were quick to give another. I thought back to the ones I could remember, including my childhood shots...I think I counted nine...And I'm 56 years old. That's a lot of tetanus shots. Too many!

Also, tetanus can only grow in airless conditions...if you actually happen to come into contact with it on that rusty nail that has been laying in animal poop, etc.. That's why they talk about deep puncture wounds. If a cut is on the surface and bleeds it is not an airless situation. Just my two cents.