182 Where There Is No Doctor 2011
TETANUS (LOCKJAW)
Tetanus results when a germ that lives in the feces of animals or people enters the
body through a wound. Deep or dirty wounds are especially dangerous.
WOUNDS VERY LIKELY TO CAUSE TETANUS
animal bites, especially
those of dogs and pigs
gunshot and
knife wounds
holes made with
dirty needles
injuries caused
by barbed wire
puncture wounds
from thorns,
splinters, or nails
CAUSES OF TETANUS IN THE NEWBORN CHILD
Tetanus germs enter through the
umbilical cord of a newborn baby because
of lack of cleanliness or failure to take
other simple precautions. The chance of
tetanus is greater . . .
WHEN THE CORD IS CUT A
LONG WAY FROM THE BODY,
LIKE THIS, THE CHANCE OF
TETANUS IS GREATER.
• when the cord has been cut with
an instrument that has not been
boiled and kept completely clean, or
• when the cord has not been cut
close to the body (see p. 262), or
• when the newly cut cord is tightly
covered or is not kept dry.