Vol. 9, 2024

Biomedicine

VACCINATION AGAINST TETANUS OF CHILDREN IN ŠUMADIJA DISTRICT: RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS

Jasmina Jovanović Mirković, Jagoda Nikolić, Slađana Pirić, Jelena Milojković, Violeta Stajić Simić, Christos Aleksopoulos, Nataša Rančić

Pages: 80-86

DOI: 10.37392/RapProc.2024.17

Tetanus is a fatal disease that is widespread in underdeveloped countries. Tetanus occurs after injuries, which are the entry point for infection with Clostridium tetani. The bacillus itself secretes a strong and potent exotoxin that causes intoxication of the body, which can be manifested by neuromuscular dysfunction. Tetanospasmin, as a powerful neurotoxin, can lead to a fatal outcome of this disease if adequate protection is not prescribed in time after the injury to prevent further intoxication with this exotoxin. Even greater importance should be attached to neonatal tetanus, which has been more common in rural areas over the last century. The vaccine is one of the safest and most effective measures in the fight against tetanus, as it provides long-term protection in fully immunized individuals. Surgical treatment, appropriate wound care, and the administration of anti-tetanus serum and the vaccine in the first hours after the injury lead to 100% protection against this deadly disease. Objective. To determine whether regular vaccination against tetanus in children in the Šumadija District has been successfully carried out over five years from 2018 to 2022 to achieve satisfactory immunity and protection against this disease for a certain period. Results and discussion. The lowest success rate in immunization against tetanus for the observed five-year period was observed in 2020: 72% for the booster vaccination at the age of seven and 86% for the booster vaccination at the age of fourteen for the area of Šumadija District. Even during the current COVID-19 pandemic in the calendar year 2021, a low tetanus vaccination coverage rate is observed compared to before the pandemic. Based on statistically processed and summarized data, it can be said that the vaccination coverage rate for 2021 is significantly lower for the first vaccination in the first year of life and is 89%, the booster vaccination in the second year of life is 90% and in the fourteenth year of life 87%. It is important to pay attention to immunization status and the completeness and regularity of tetanus vaccination. In some developed countries, special attention is paid to the assessment of tetanus vaccination status by reviewing medical records as part of primary health care. Conclusion. Continuous and improved education of physicians (especially surgeons, anesthesiologists, and emergency physicians) about immunization of the childhood population according to the calendar of mandatory vaccinations against tetanus in the form of panel discussions, lectures, and professional conferences is extremely important. Immunoprophylaxis in children and immunoprophylaxis together with seroprophylaxis and chemoprophylaxis in the elderly is the key to success in the fight against tetanus.
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