Will I get tetanus if I get stabbed by a rusty nail?

When walking on the road, some people do not pay attention to their feet and may be accidentally injured by some rusty iron nails, which will leave large wounds. You should know that rusty iron nails piercing into the flesh will cause infection. For more serious cases, tetanus is recommended because deep wounds have invaded the blood vessels and flesh.

When the wound is deep enough to require stitches, or when it is caused by some serious external injuries, such as punctures or wounds by sharp objects such as nails, wood, and thorns, and bleeding occurs, such wounds are deep and thin, and are the breeding ground for tetanus bacteria.

The wound opening is small, and there is necrotic tissue or blood clots inside the wound, or the wound is packed too tightly or there is local ischemia, which creates an oxygen-deficient environment suitable for the growth and reproduction of tetanus bacteria. If aerobic infection is present, the latter will consume the remaining oxygen in the wound, making tetanus more likely to occur.

If the wound is only superficial and not deep, there is no need to inject tetanus antitoxin as long as proper cleaning is done. Or you can just use some disinfectant such as mercurochrome to wipe it on the surface. If the wound is dry and there is no exudate, there is no need to wipe it again.

3 Common animal bites include being bitten by pets such as cats and dogs. If the wound is deep, even if the pet has been vaccinated, it is necessary to get a tetanus shot for safety reasons.

Similarly, if you are bitten by a person, to be on the safe side, if the wound is deep, you should also get a tetanus shot and rabies vaccine to prevent wound infection. What will happen if you get bitten by someone but don’t get a tetanus vaccine? The consequences are serious. Recently, a middle-aged man named Mr. Cao from Nanjing was bitten by his younger brother, and the wound became infected with osteomyelitis, nearly leading to amputation.

Neonatal tetanus, also known as "four-six wind", "umbilical wind", "seven-day wind", etc., is an acute and severe infectious disease caused by Clostridium tetani invading the navel, producing toxins and causing the disease to be characterized by clenched jaws and systemic muscle rigidity and spasm.

With the application and promotion of new delivery techniques in urban and rural areas of my country, the incidence of this disease has been significantly reduced. However, it can still occur in remote mountainous areas, rural areas and by private birth attendants.