People died from tetanus-related complications in recent years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on April 16.
From 2009 to 2023, 47 states and the District of Columbia reported 402 tetanus cases, CDC researchers said in a paper published by the agency’s quasi-journal. Thirty-seven of those cases resulted in death, including one in 2023 and two in 2021.
Twenty-two of the deaths were among females. Fifteen were among females aged 80 or older.
None of the deceased were younger than 18. Two of the deaths were among those between the ages of 18 and 49; four were among those aged 50 to 64; the rest were among elderly individuals.
Tetanus is a disease caused by a toxin produced when one is exposed to a bacterium, typically through a contaminated wound. Symptoms can include difficulty swallowing, spasms, and seizures….