How long can a person wait after a wound to get a Td booster?
There is no simple answer to your question. The urgency of tetanus prophylaxis is a function of several factors, including the nature and location of the wound and the person’s previous vaccination status. The incubation period of tetanus can be as short as 1 day, or as long as several months. Most cases occur within 3 days to 3 weeks of the injury. Once the disease starts it must run its course. Factors that increase the urgency of prophylaxis include lack of prior vaccination with tetanus toxoid, or vaccination in the remote past without a booster dose within the last 10-20 years; unknown vaccination status (you should always assume the worst case scenario, i.e., that the person is unvaccinated unless they can prove otherwise); and a wound contaminated with dirt or feces. The situation is most urgent when the person is unvaccinated or inadequately vaccinated, and the wound is contaminated and on or near the head. Puncture wounds are dangerous because of the anaerobic condition that r
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