It was Oregon's first case of tetanus in a child in more than three decades, a CDC report said.
By Amy B Wang Amy B Wang General assignment reporter covering national and breaking news Email Bio Follow March 8 at 12:52 PM For more than 30 years in Oregon, cases of tetanus in children were almost mythical — studied in textbooks but never seen in person — thanks to the effectiveness of pediatric vaccination programs.
He was airlifted to a pediatric hospital, where he was diagnosed with tetanus. It was the first instance of the life-threatening neuromuscular disease in a child in Oregon in more than three decades. The boy was given an anti-tetanus immunoglobulin for his wound, as well as the DTaP vaccine, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. He was also placed in a dark room with ear plugs, which helped reduce the intensity of his spasms. His scalp wound was cleaned by medical professionals.
In all, the boy’s medical charges in the hospital amounted to $811,929 — which did not include the cost of being airlifted to the hospital or of inpatient rehabilitation, according to the CDC. It’s unclear from the report who covered his hospital expenses. It took about a month after his rehab for the boy to return to “normal activities” such as running and bicycling, the report added.
In the 1940s, there were about 500 to 600 cases of tetanus reported annually in the United States, according to the nonprofit Immunization Action Coalition. That was also around when both anti-tetanus immunoglobin and the tetanus vaccine became widely used, a practice that has led to a 95 percent decrease in tetanus cases and a 99 percent decrease in tetanus-related deaths since the 1940s, according to the CDC.
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