Tetanus
Commonly known as lockjaw, tetanus is a severe disease that causes stiffness and spasms of the muscles, with approximately 30 percent of reported cases ending in death. Unlike other vaccine-preventable diseases which are transferred from person to person, tetanus bacteria grow in soil and can therefore never be eradicated. The bacterium usually enters the body through a cut or a puncture wound to the skin. It is critical to vaccinate babies on time, before they start to crawl, and then to get booster shots every ten years throughout a person's life.
From 1922 to 1926, there were an estimated 1,314 cases of tetanus per year in the U.S. In 2002, as a result of extensive immunization, only 25 cases of tetanus were reported and those low rates continued through 2006, (the most recent year in which data are available).
