Baby girl survives deadly tetanus bout

A 15-month-old Far North girl is lucky to be alive after contracting the deadly tetanus disease last month, health officials say.

Northland Health medical officer Jonathan Jarman said the girl was rushed to Whangarei Hospital on April 11 with tetanus, or lockjaw as it is also commonly known.

Dr Jarman said the girl became extremely ill and was transferred to Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital.

Tetanus produces one of the most deadly toxins known to man and is fatal in up to nine out of 10 cases.

The girl, who had never been vaccinated, was the first person to catch the disease in Northland for at least 15 years.

She was also the first young child to catch the disease in New Zealand for at least the same length of time.

"She is very lucky to be alive. She was very ill with severe muscle spasms and had to be ventilated because of difficulties breathing," Dr Jarman said.

"Tetanus is no joke and the death rate from it is very high."

The girl was still in Starship hospital today, but was expected to recover.

Catching tetanus did not give the body immunity from the disease and the girl would still need to be vaccinated.

Dr Jarman said the case should serve as a warning that tetanus was still a danger, despite there being very few cases of the disease these days.

Tetanus spores are often found in soil, but the injury on the girl's body where she contracted the disease was not immediately obvious.

However, there was a small prickle under one of her toes that could have carried the infection.

Tetanus normally gets into the body through a graze or cut to the skin.

Dr Jarman said adults who had contracted tetanus - there were only six cases in New Zealand in 1999 - have described it as "a visit to hell and back" because of its severe and debilitating symptoms.

He said one of the first main symptoms of tetanus was muscle spasms in the face, which gave it the lockjaw name.

Most cases of tetanus in New Zealand involved elderly women who had never been vaccinated against it.

Tetanus vaccinations have been free in New Zealand for around 40 years.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE