EDITORIAL - Tetanus risk

Fireworks-related injuries are down by 68 percent from the previous year, the Department of Health reported on the first day of the year. DOH officials attributed this to tighter regulations on the use of fireworks as well as the rainy weather on New Year’s Eve and throughout much of yesterday.

Yet that 32 percent still meant 84 people injured on New Year’s Eve, or a total of 139 since the DOH started keeping track of injuries caused by fireworks in the days before Christmas 2018.

Even after getting medical attention, a number of those injured could face another risk, which could cost them their life if not detected and treated early. Materials used for the manufacture of fireworks can cause tetanus. Even a small wound from the explosion of seemingly innocuous mini firecrackers – the piccolo and watusi – can lead to the bacterial infection.

If detected too late, tetanus kills. Health experts are reminding the public about the early symptoms of the bacterial infection including fever, diarrhea, sore throat and headache. A confirmed tetanus case is considered an emergency. Spasms and stiffness are common, starting with the chewing muscles and spreading to the throat, chest, abdomen, limbs and back muscles.

Careful monitoring of anyone injured especially by firecrackers that contain dried animal manure is critical for early detection and treatment. Children who have not been vaccinated against tetanus are particularly vulnerable. Tetanus can have a long incubation period; it can take from four days to three weeks for symptoms to emerge.

Once lockjaw sets in, it may be too late. If there’s a festering wound caused by fireworks, it must be quickly tested for tetanus. Health professionals stress that they are not exaggerating when they warn that early treatment of tetanus spells the difference between life and death.