Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Tetanus
Where have you heard the term tetanus before? You probably heard it in the doctor's office when your physician was talking about shots. Did you ever wonder what tetanus was?
Tetanus is a serious disease. It affects the nervous system. It is rare, and it is not contagious. Most importantly, it is preventable.
What causes tetanus? The bacterium Clostridium tetani does. It is a bacterium that can live without oxygen. It is found all over the world. Most likely, someone would come across it in soil, dust, and manure. It enters the body through a skin wound. That wound can be small, for example, from a pinprick or a scratch. However, in the United States, most of the time it enters the body through a deep cut such as the kind one experiences if he or she steps on a nail. Nonsterile needles for drug use and body piercing are also a problem. Burns, frostbite, or any injury involving dead skin are especially likely to cause tetanus.
