Purdue Extension Service

Vanderburgh County, Indiana

Tetanus in the Garden

By Larry Caplan, Extension Horticulture Educator, Vanderburgh County, IN

For the Evansville Courier and Press, March 8, 2009

If I was to ask one hundred local gardeners what was the most potentially deadly and contagious disease they could catch while doing simple yard and garden work, very few would get the correct answer.

Say the word “tetanus,” and most people think of rusty nails. But tetanus bacteria lurk in many places - including ordinary soil. And that can be a hazard to your health. It means that simple gardening and yard work can expose you to a potentially deadly infection. All it takes is a small cut, scrape, or splinter.

The tetanus bacteria can live in soil, manure, or dirt. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), nearly one-third of all tetanus cases originated by an injury in the yard, garden, or farm.

The most common form of tetanus can cause paralysis. The first symptoms are often stiffness in the neck and trouble swallowing—the reason a tetanus infection is also called “lockjaw.” A tetanus infection can be difficult to diagnose and complicated to treat, taking weeks or months for recovery.

Older adults have an increased risk of tetanus and diphtheria (another deadly and contagious disease) compared to children and young adults. This is likely because older adults may not have received the initial series of tetanus shots to establish protection, or because many adults may have simply forgotten to stay up-to-date with a booster shot every 10 years.

There are several easy ways to protect yourself from the tetanus bacteria. First and foremost,
keep your immunity current with a tetanus/diphtheria booster every 10 years. Since the late 1940s, children in the U.S. have routinely received an initial series of tetanus and diphtheria shots, followed by boosters every 10 years. If you’ve never had a tetanus/diphtheria vaccination or you’re not sure about your immunization status, ask your health care provider.

The Vanderburgh County Health Department offers free tetanus shots for adults on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, from 8 to 3, without appointment. 

Wear gloves and protective clothes when you’re working around the garden or yard to guard against cuts, scratches and other injuries. Gloves and clothes may prevent an injury, and can also create a barrier so bacteria are less likely to sneak into your system through an open wound.

Finally, treat all wounds, no matter how small. Wash cuts and punctures with soap and water. Cover the wound with an anti-microbial ointment, and apply a bandage. Symptoms usually appear within eight days after exposure, but they can appear any time from three days to three weeks after being infected.

Your local health department, as well as The National Foundation for Infectious Disease ( http://www.nfid.org/ ) have loads of information on tetanus and other diseases of concern. For more information on general safety in the yard and garden, contact the Purdue Extension Service at (812) 435-5287.