Typical childhood diseases like tetanus have been virtually eliminated in the United States through a routine immunization. But in many countries, half of all neonatal deaths due to vaccine-preventable diseases are caused by tetanus.
Tetanus is caused by bacteria called Clostridium Tetani.
Tetanus has a fatality rate as high as 70 to 100% in some countries. Each year approximately 140,000* infants and 30,000 women in developing countries die from tetanus.
There are still 46 countries that have yet to eliminate MNT.
In developing countries where healthcare is not easily accessible, women give birth at home in often unsanitary conditions, putting them and their newborn babies at risk of contracting tetanus—spores can pass through the umbilical cord when cut, infecting both mother and baby.
By being vaccinated against tetanus, mothers and their babies are easily protected against this terrible disease.
Two doses of the tetanus vaccines are recommended for pregnant women, three doses to all women of childbearing age in high-risk areas, providing protection for the women for up to 15 years and passing on their immunity to their newborns for the first few months of life.
1 tetanus vaccine costs just 7 cents.
MALI: A woman is immunized against tetanus using a Uniject syringe, in Benkene, a remote village near the town of Bla, 320 km north-east of Bamako, the capital. The vaccination is being given by Mariam, a woman traditional birth attendant (TBA) trained to promote and administer vaccinations against the disease.
This is a Procter & Gamble charitable giving program.
