| Neonatal Tetanus | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Maternal neonatal tetanus (MNT) |
 | |
| Neonatal tetanus | |
| Specialty | Pediatrics, Infectious disease |
Neonatal tetanus (trismus nascentium) is a form of generalised tetanus that occurs in newborns. Infants who have not acquired passive immunity from an immunized mother are at risk. It usually occurs through infection of the unhealed umbilical stump, particularly when the stump is cut with a non-sterile instrument. Neonatal tetanus mostly occurs in developing countries, particularly those with the least developed health infrastructure. It is rare in developed countries.[1]
The WHO recommend that unimmunized pregnant women receive tetanus toxoid in the pregnancy to prevent the disease in their baby once born.[2]
Globally, deaths from neonatal tetanus was 787,000 in the early 1980s.[2] In 1989, the WHO launched a programme to vaccinate all pregnant women, and deaths from neonatal tetanus dropped to 25,000 in 2018.[2]
- ^ Roper, Martha H; Vandelaer, Jos H; Gasse, François L (12 September 2007). "Maternal and neonatal tetanus" (PDF). The Lancet. 370 (9603): 1947–1959. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(07)61261-6. PMID 17854885. S2CID 14064720. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ a b c Vesikari, Timo; Maertens, Kirsten; Finn, Adam (2021). "6. Maternal immunization". In Vesikari, Timo; Damme, Pierre Van (eds.). Pediatric Vaccines and Vaccinations: A European Textbook (Second ed.). Switzerland: Springer. p. 50. ISBN 978-3-030-77172-0.