Worried about Tetanus! Please help!

[Hezeo]

Hello

It happened few days ago I was picking up a parcel near the guardhouse of my apartment building. Now that place is divided by a Stainless Steel caged wall (4 feet) so outsiders cant get in. It also had a door but they completely shut it by tieing up a metal wire (rusty) which was very sharp on its end. While I moved, my forearm got cut by that metal wire. Its a long cut and was bleeding for some time.it didn't puncture muscle but made a long cut that caused some amount of bleeding. I came back to my room. Washed it properly with soap then applied aftershave lotion multiple times.

Now I am worried as to whether this causes tetanus. I am trying to calm myself by thinking that the wire been up there for a long time and that it has rained before and it was probably clean(actually the place is clean) But what if prior to getting there it was not clean. I must also mention that I found out in previous blood test that I had a tetanus vaccine when I was very young. But I still cannot get this negative thoughts out of my head.

[ErinKC]

I think you need to get a pretty deep cut to get tetanus (like stepping on a nail). I've scraped my arm badly on a fence before and was fine. But, if you're not sure when your last tetanus shot was you might as well go get one. Then there's no need to worry. I think you're meant to get a booster every 10 years.

[Mei]

I've had a tetanus scare once when I cut my foot on a gardening tool, which wasn't rusty, but it was dirty from soil. I even developed some symptoms due to worrying so much :doh:

From what I've read that time, it's good if a cut is bleeding a little, because the blood washes out any bacteria that might have been there. Also, like was already say, shallow cuts are considered low risk for tetanus - the most risky woulds are either deep puncture wounds that cannot be properly cleaned, or severe burns with lots of dead tissue that don't heal well. Your case doesn't sound like either of those, so you're at very low risk of tetanus, if any ;)

And if you're still worried, it is always a good idea to get a booster vaccine as an adult - that is essentially what I did after that scare. Apparently there were studies that people who has a full course of vaccines (I think 3 total) in childhood are actually protected quite well until late adulthood, the recommended booster every 10 years is a good option for staying on the safe side. While worrying about adverse effects of a vaccine is also no fun especially in the age of vaccine scares, it was much easier for me to handle than worrying about a rare and deadly disease, so I recommend it :winks:

[lofwyr]

The obvious solution is one you should do regardless, and go get a tetanus shot. Your injury is zero chance for it, essentially, but beside the point, keeping up on vaccinations and immunizations should be done regardless.

Usually it is when I stepped on a nail that made me look up my tetanus booster and if out of date, go get a shot. No big deal at all.