Tetanus, a current disease in pediatric population. Case report

Abstract

Introduction: Tetanus is an acute disease caused by a toxin produced by Clostridium tetanii. The disease can affect people of any age, and the fatality rate is high. Thanks to immunization the number of cases of the disease has decreased , although they are still present in countries with social and economic backwardness.

Objective: To describe a case of a pediatric patient with generalized tetanus to reinforce the relevance of prophylaxis and early detection. Case Report: A 6 year old female patient, with only one dose of pentavalent vaccine, 10 days after sharps injury by wood chips, starts with fever, muscle pain and generalized contractions Tetanus was diagnosed by clinical symptoms and history. The management was based on the latest recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO): Penicillin-Metronidazole antibiotic regimen, tetanus toxoid and tetanus high-dose gammaglobulin. After 2 years of follow-up under physiotherapy support, . slight motor sequelae were observed.

Conclusion: tetanus is still presented in the pediatric population, associated with lack of vaccination. It is necessary to know the disease to provide proper diagnosis and management according to international lineaments.