Download Notable Facts about Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus

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Notable Facts about Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT)
• Tetanus is caused by the bacteria, C. tetani, found in soil, dust and animal feces.
• Over 70% of all people infected die from the disease.
• At the 1990 World Summit for Children, the elimination of tetanus was designated a goal for
UNICEF.
• Elimination is defined as less than 1 case per 1,000 live births in every district of every
country, every year.
• Although these may be under-reported, it is estimated that each year, 355,000 cases of
neonatal tetanus occur which result in the deaths of 248,000 infants. Additionally, it is
estimated that 30,000 – 50,000 women die each year from the disease.
• MNT is most commonly caused by unclean birthing practices.
• After 5 doses of the vaccine, women and children are fully immunized for life.
Tetanus: A Public Health Problem In Developing Countries
For Western nations, tetanus may be considered an inconvenience – step on a rusty nail and go
to the hospital for a tetanus toxoid (TT) booster. However, in developing countries, tetanus poses
a far more dangerous threat to people’s lives. Specifically, maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT)which affects pregnant women and babies under 30 days old – causes approximately 400,000
deaths every year.
Tetanus is caused by a bacteria, c. tetani, and is commonly found in soil, dust and animal feces.
MNT is often caused by unclean birthing practices, such as using unsterile instruments and
dressings when performing obstetrical procedures and cutting the umbilical cord. Tetanus is a
painful disease, with symptoms appearing from 4 – 21 days after infection. Tetanus causes
lockjaw, muscle stiffness, fever and spasms. The fatality rate is very high – ranging from 70% 100%, depending on the access to health care.
Dubbed the “Silent Killer”, neonatal tetanus has historically been underreported and
underestimated. The babies that suffer from tetanus often die before they reach a health care
facility and are not counted in country statistics. Parents, unaware of the disease, carry fatalistic
attitudes towards the death of a baby that young - particularly before the naming ceremony - and
may not associate tetanus with the death of their child.
In 1990, at the World Summit for Children, UNICEF pledged their goal to eliminate MNT
worldwide. Elimination of MNT, defined as less than 1 case of MNT per 1,000 live births in every
district of every country, is attainable. In fact, MNT has already been eliminated in 111 countries,
including all of Latin America. However, 49 countries remain, with 27 countries accounting for
over 90% of all MNT cases.
Strategies to target MNT combine safe birthing kits, information and health education and,
perhaps most importantly, immunization coverage for women and children. With only 5 doses of
TT, women and children are immune to tetanus for life. As a result, hundreds of thousands of
lives, now susceptible to a terrible yet vaccine-preventable disease, would be saved.