With the breakdown of the public health services in this area, diphtheria epidemics began in 1990, fueled primarily by persons who were not properly vaccinated. Tetanus is a severe, often fatal disease. The bacteria that cause tetanus are widely distributed in soil and street dust, are found in the waste of many animals, and are very resistant to heat and germ-killing cleaners. In the late 1940s, the tetanus vaccine was introduced, and tetanus became a disease that was officially counted and tracked by public health officials. In 1998, only 45 cases of tetanus were reported in the U.S. People who get tetanus suffer from stiffness and spasms of the muscles.
Some people go into a coma and die.
Tetanus in the U.S. is primarily a disease of adults. Worldwide, tetanus in newborn infants continues to be a huge problem. Every year tetanus kills 300,000 newborns and 30,000 birth mothers who were not properly vaccinated. Very recently, an increased number of tetanus cases in younger persons has been observed in the U.S. among intravenous drug users, particularly heroin users. Tetanus is infectious, but not contagious, so unlike other vaccine-preventable diseases, immunization by members of the community will not protect others from the disease.