Tetanus

What is Tetanus?
Tetanus is a disease commonly known as lockjaw, is caused by the bacteria Clostridium Tetani. Just like rabies, Tetanus is quite rare in modern cities and urban areas such as the US, because we have medicines and vaccines for it. Only about 30 people contract tetanus per year in the US, and 2 people die, as shown in 2017, and almost all cases were in people that refused to take the recommended vaccines. However, in the world, about 38000 die yearly of this bacteria, mostly in Africa, and some parts of South America and South Asia.

How do you contract Tetanus?
Tetanus is contracted by spores getting into wounds and the body. It can easily enter your body if you puncture yourself with a nail, or have your wound touch soil, dead leaves, faeces or saliva. If needles are unclean with tetanus spores on it and you inject substances into your body with it, you may get it too. Insect bites can transmit the disease too.

Symptoms:
- Lockjaw
- Muscle spasms and contractions (affect brain and nervous system with neurotoxins)
- Fever and sweating
- Muscle stiffness
- Cannot breath

Diagnosis:
- Physical examination

What if you don't treat it?
Tetanus is fatal because it can cause you to suffocate.

Treatment
- Antibiotics
- Antitoxin
- Cleaning wound properly to prevent anymore tetanus spores from growing

Prevention:
- GET THE TETANUS VACCINE! DON'T DESTROY THE WORLD BY PROMOTE ANTI-VAXXING!
- MOST OF THE 30 PEOPLE WHO GET TETANUS IS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T LISTEN TO RECOMMENDATIONS AND DIDN'T GET THE VACCINE
- 3 doses of DTaP 2/4/6 months, 15-18 months, 4-6 years old
- 1 dose of Tdap at 7-10 years old (booster)
- 1 dose of Tdap at 11-18 (booster)
- After being in accident with a big cut or wound (hospitalized), vaccine recommended to prevent catching tetanus
- The vaccines also protect you from Whooping Cough and Diphtheria

Rabies

What is Rabies?
Rabies is a lyssavirus which is extremely severe. It comes from animals. If you don't get treatment after getting symptoms caused by rabies, you have less than 1% chance of surviving. More than 59000 people die per year of rabies, according to the CDC. Only 8 to 10 people are known to have survived rabies without a vaccine, such as the 15-year-old Jeanna Giese. However, the numbers of rabies in developed countries are extremely low. 1-3 people are admitted to the hospital with rabies a year in the United States. Lots of deaths still remain in developing and third-world countries. This is because rabies comes from bats and bats are rarely found in developing countries.

How do you contract Rabies?
Rabies is transmitted when an infected animal's saliva gets into an open wound of a human. The most common way of transmission is after a household pet gets the virus from another infected animal from outside and bites or scratch its victim because animals can get really aggressive with the rabies virus. There is also another method, which when an infected animals saliva touches an open wound or into the person's eyes, nose or mouth, which can be by licking as well.

Symptoms:
Stage 1.  Headache, Heat, Coughing and Runny Nose, Diarrhoea, Tiredness, Loss of Appetite
Stage 2. Aggression, Cramping, Fear, Light sensitivity, Hallucinations
Stage 3. Paralysis, Lock-jaw, Scared of water

Diagnosis needed:
- Direct Fluorescent Antibody test - check for the virus on the brain tissue
- If you show similar symptoms and you've been bitten or scratched by an animal, go to a doctor for a check

What if you don't treat it?
You DIE unless you are EXTREMELY LUCKY.

Treatment:
A rabies vaccine. The rabies vaccine is usually for people who contracted the virus. The only people who get it before being infected are people with health conditions or weaker immune systems.

Prevention:
-Vaccinate your pet
-Stay away from wild animals (especially bats)
-Keep your pets away from wild animals
-Call the vet if you see your pet acting weird or have symptoms of rabies