Agencies-Gaza post
Tetanus causes around 60,000 deaths annually
Tetanus Causing Bacteria
Clostridium tetani is an anaerobic bacterium, meaning that it cannot live or grow where oxygen is present.
When exposed to air, the bacterium will form a protective spore which allows it to remain in a dormant state, largely impervious to heat, dryness, ultraviolet radiation, or household disinfectants.
The spores can remain viable for years in soil and be reactivated when it is returned to a favorable moist environment.
One such environment is a deep puncture wound in which the reactivated bacteria is able to establish an infection.
Once in the body, tetanus will release toxins—known as tetanospasmin toxins that bind to nerve cells. The toxins will then spread through peripheral nerves until they finally reach the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord).
As the bacteria multiply and amplify this effect, the tetanospasmin toxins will begin to block the production of certain chemical messengers, known as neurotransmitters, that control voluntary muscle movement.
In terms of toxicity, tetanospasmin toxin is the second deadliest bacterial neurotoxin next to the botulinum toxin found in Botox.
Tetanus
Tetanus often begins with mild spasms in the jaw muscles also known as lockjaw.
Treatment
There’s no cure for tetanus. A tetanus infection requires emergency and long-term supportive care while the disease runs its course.
Treatment consists of wound care, medications to ease symptoms and supportive care, usually in an intensive care unit.
The disease progresses for about two weeks, and recovery can last about a month.
