Tetanus Vaccine

TETANUS VACCINE: TURNING LOGIC ON ITS HEAD

This article was written for Lily and her mummy, with love.

In my years running VAN UK, a persistent theme which reoccurs again and again from worried parents, is ‘okay, so I know vaccines harm, but what about tetanus?’ Even some ‘alternative’ practitioners seem to be on the fence with this particular disease, but are their fears founded? Here, I will look at the facts about the disease and the vaccine.

Tetanus – The Disease

Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, causes stiff muscles, particularly in the neck and jaw. Other symptoms are a hard abdomen, painful spasms of the muscles and respiratory tract, which can cause breathing difficulties. If caught, the disease is serious, but it’s extremely difficult to actually contract tetanus.
It is primarily caused by the improper cleaning of wounds, where the wound has been bandaged up without being cleansed, or stitched using unsterile instruments, something which rarely occurs in developed countries. Even then, the Clostridium tetani spore would also have to be present in the wound, and unlike what medics tell you, these spores aren’t ‘everywhere’.

During the 2nd World War, only 5 American soldiers died of tetanus, despite being up to their eyes in mud in the trenches. All five of these soldiers had been vaccinated against tetanus, one had received a full programme of shots, the others had been partially vaccinated.
The British Army had 22 cases of tetanus in which 11 people died. All of the deaths were in tetanus vaccinated soldiers. The 11 survivors were unvaccinated. (Dittmann, S. Atypische Verlàufe nach Schutzimpfungen. Johan Ambrosius Barth Leipzig, 1981; 156).

Most tetanus cases occur in third world countries and many of these are caused by umbilical stump infections in newborns, where the cord has been tied off in unsanitary conditions.
In Western countries, tetanus is rare. For instance, Germany has only 17 cases a year. (Mass für Mass - Tetanus-Impfung (Tetanol u.a.). Arznei-Tel, 1994; 7:60).

Isn’t the low Tetanus Rate because of Vaccination?

Unlike childhood diseases, it isn’t possible to gain natural immunity to tetanus. If you’ve had it once, you can have it again. The body does not produce antibodies to Clostridium Tetani. Vaccination is the act of injecting a viral or bacterial substance into the body to make it produce antibodies to that disease. However, since no natural antibodies can be made, then there is no possible way that artificial antibodies could be made either. If the disease cannot give you protection, then how can a vaccine? It is likely that any raised antibody level seen after vaccination is the result of adjuvants (toxic heavy metals which are added to increase the body’s antibody response). In the case of tetanus vaccine, this substance is aluminium.
Antibodies themselves are not an indication of immunity – this is just one function, which is vastly different from whole body immunity.
According to Vieira et al: ‘This minimal protective antibody level is an arbitrary one and is not a guarantee of security for the individual patient.’ (Vieira, B.l.; Dunne, J.W.; Summers, Q.; Cephalic tetanus in an immunized patient. Med J Austr. 1986; 145: 156-7).

It is widely known that even those antibodies caused by tetanus vaccine adjuvants will wane or disappear completely within 5 to 10 years. That is why children have a pre-school ‘booster’ at 4 years old, despite being vaccinated 3 or more times as a baby, and why it is repeated again at 15, and in some countries, at 12. It is estimated that over 50% of the adult population is not up to date on their tetanus vaccination and therefore, unvaccinated. If it was truly vaccination that was keeping tetanus rates low, then why are there not dozens more cases of tetanus with all these adults running around? It certainly isn’t in line with their herd immunity theory, where they assert 95% of people have to be ‘immunised’ or it won’t work.

Vaccination also mimics the way in which people get tetanus (the spore entering through a deep puncture wound) – exactly the same as with an injection, so it is possible to get tetanus from the vaccine.

Many diseases have declined rapidly in the last 100 years because of improved sanitation, hygiene, and diet, and those who recovered from disease appear to be the ones who didn’t get their jabs.

The Vaccine

Single tetanus vaccine is no longer given. Children are given it in the combined 5 in 1 super jab and if an adult attends an emergency department with an injury, they are given DT vaccine (Diphtheria and Tetanus). If a parent wishes to have only the tetanus vaccine, they will have to submit to all the other childhood ones too, unless paying a private clinic hundreds of pounds to secure the old vaccine.
However, any vaccine containing tetanus toxoid can cause reactions, even the single one.
Reactions

There are 4 general reactions in every 500 vaccinations given, and 1 death in every 500. (Sisk, C.W., Lewis, C.E.; Arch Environm Health, 1965; 11:7,34).
Reactions include: swelling, redness and pain, headache, tiredness, muscle pain, high temperature, rashes, swollen glands, joint pain, numbness and tingling, nausea and vomiting, shock, paleness, breathing difficulties, collapse, allergic reactions, lymphadenopathy and peripheral neuropathy.
Tetanic spasms may develop, and rigor after vaccination (Stalikamp, B.; Hating, A.; lung, L.C.; Dtsch med Wschr, 1974; 99:2579)

Peripheral Neuropathy is a neurological disability which my children’s father suffers from and causes the myelin sheath on the nerves to degrade. This means messages from the nerves to the brain are ‘scrambled’, causing muscle wastage and bone deformities. My mother-in-law had elected to give him only DT, instead of DPT. Needless to say, he was shocked to read that his disability can be caused by tetanus containing vaccines.

Shock reactions are also common after tetanus vaccine, and tend to become worse with each vaccine you have. For instance, a 24 year old woman with a history of asthma and wheezing, died half an hour after receiving a tetanus vaccine (Staak, M.; Wirth, E.; Zur Problematik anaphylaktischer Reaktionen nach aktiver Tetanus-immunisierung. Dtsch. Med. Wschr., 1973; 98:110-111).

A 14 year old boy was bitten by a dog, and on receiving his vaccine, died 5 minutes later (Spann, W.; Medical Tribune, 1986; 19:10).

Immune system damage is commonly written about with this vaccine, perhaps the most concerning is that research has indicated that tetanus toxoid causes a massive drop in T cells, comparable to that of an AIDS sufferer:

‘Tests of T-lymphocyte subpopulations were done on 11 healthy adults before-and-after routine tetanus booster immunizations. Tests showed a significant though temporary drop in T-helper lymphocytes (a class of white blood cells which helps govern the immune system) in all of the subjects. Special concern rests in the fact that in 4 of the subjects the T-helper cells fell to levels found in active AIDS patients. (2) If this was the result of a single vaccine in healthy adults, it is sobering to think of the consequences of the multiple vaccines (twenty-one at last count) routinely given to infants with their immature systems during the first six months of life. However, we can only speculate as to the consequences, as this test has never been repeated’ – Dr. Buttram (Abnormal T-lymphocyte subpopulations in healthy subjects after tetanus booster immunization.N Engl J Med. 1984 Jan 19;310(3):198-9).

Contraindications: (people who shouldn’t have the vaccine)

Infections
Asthma
Hayfever
Allergy to a previous vaccine
Allergy to any of the vaccine components (tetanus toxoid, aluminium hydroxide, formaldehyde, thiomersal)
Liver and kidney conditions
Hepatitis

Natural Prevention of Tetanus

Proper hygiene! If cut, allow the wound to air first. Tetanus spores are killed before they enter the bloodstream if they come into contact with oxygen. In the case of more severe wounds, make sure it is cleaned out with water or saline before being stitched at hospital. Adequate cleaning is usually enough to deter tetanus.
In the case of newborns, any instruments used to sever the cord should be previously boiled thoroughly.
Homeopathic remedies Ledum and Hypericum have been successful at treating tetanus and acting as a preventative for years. These are simple and effective measures without a fraction of the risk.

77% of Tetanus Cases Are In Heroin Users

According to a CDC MMWR Report, 77% of cases of tetanus in California, USA, occured in heroin drug users:

'Tetanus in injecting-drug users (IDUs) with no known acute injury comprised 11% of all cases, compared with 3.6% during 1991-1994. None of the IDU-associated tetanus cases occurred among persons who were known to have been vaccinated. Sixty-nine percent of IDU-associated tetanus cases were reported from California, and 77% of these cases occurred in heroin users.'

13% of people in this report had got tetanus after having recieved the primary series of tetanus ciontaining vaccines as babies. Although they said people who had 3 or more adult doses of the shot didn't get tetanus (they may not have anyway?). Since the vaccine obviously wears off, I wonder why they bother with the baby shots?

Source: MMWR, July 03, 1998 / 47(SS-2);1-13

This article was originally written for The Mother magazine, The World's Best Attachment Parenting Magazine!