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A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY ON RISK FACTORS, VACCINATION STATUS AND OUTCOME OF TETANUS IN CHILDREN

Dr Noreen Kausar, Dr Khizra Gull, Dr Rukhsana Shamim

Introduction: Neonatal tetanus (NT) continues to be a major cause of mortality and neurological sequelae for survivors yet it is highly preventable using simple and inexpensive public health interventions. Aims and objectives: The main objective of the study is to analyze the risk factors, vaccination status and outcome of tetanus in children. Material and methods: This descriptive study was conducted in THQ Hospital, Jatoi, Muzaffargarh during April 2018 to November 2018. The data was collected from 100 children of both genders. The diagnosis of tetanus was clinical, based on medical history and examination, determining the presence of at least three of the following clinical findings: severe trismus, refusal to feed, generalized muscle rigidity, opisthotonus or spontaneous tetanic spasms. Results: There were 67(63.5%) males and 33 (36.5%) females. Overall, the mean age was 6.56+3.15 years, and the commonest age group at presentation was 6-10 years with 38(51.4%) cases. 50(67%) were unvaccinated, none (0%) had received booster dose and post-trauma immune prophyl axis. The case fatality was therefore 61.8%, and did not vary significantly over the 14 years (P = 0.536). Conclusion: It is concluded that this study has documented high case fatality rates in Pediatric tetanus in the study area. Closer follow-up of patients to identify the progress of severity assists in identifying cases that require respiratory support and drug escalation.

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