When should the tetanus shot be given? This time is most effective

Tetanus injection is necessary when the body is severely injured or bleeding too much, otherwise it is easy to get infected. Generally, the injection can be given within 24 hours after injury, but the earlier the better, the more obvious the effect will be and the lower the chance of accidents.

Of course, it is better to inject TAT and TIG as soon as possible after the injury, generally not more than 24 hours, but it is still worth injecting after that (because although tetanus can develop within 24 hours, the incubation period can be a week or longer). The protection time of TAT is about 2-3 days, and the protection time of TIG is 2-3 weeks. This is the result of comprehensive pharmacological and clinical research, but there is no absolute conclusion. If the time exceeds this period, there is a risk of infection again and another injection is required.

The duration of protection provided by active immunity obtained through tetanus vaccination is relatively complicated. You can consult your doctor. Generally speaking, if you are injured within 3 years after the last vaccination, no special treatment for tetanus is required. Those who have been ill for more than 3 years should receive a booster injection of tetanus toxoid. For severely contaminated wounds, in addition to tetanus toxoid injection, TAT or TIG may be injected at another site as appropriate. According to the standard tetanus prevention and control process, if a person has no history of immunization and is facing possible infection, in addition to being injected with TAT or TIG for protection, if circumstances permit, he or she should also be injected with tetanus toxoid for active immunization. However, due to clinical limitations such as individuals, hospitals and the lack of vaccines, this measure has not been taken, and simple injection of TAT or TIG is still the main method.

For pregnant women, the toxic effects of TAT or TIG are unclear and should be used with caution. However, tetanus toxoid (i.e. tetanus vaccine) is safe and, generally speaking, is used the same way as normal people. As for the prevention of neonatal tetanus, if the pregnant woman has been vaccinated with tetanus toxoid in the past, she only needs to receive a shot of tetanus toxoid in the early pregnancy, at the latest 3 weeks before delivery. The antibodies can cross the placenta to allow the fetus to also obtain this protective antibody. If the pregnant woman has not been vaccinated with tetanus toxoid in the past, she should receive another shot 4 weeks after the first shot as a booster.