New Zealand Doctor, International, 18 March, 1993, pg 23:

TOO MANY TETANUS SHOTS - Western Australia.

“Some people having tetanus booster already anve antibody levels more than 8000 (eight thousand, just in case you thought I made a typo) times the protective level needed, suggesting Australia’s regime of a booster every 10 years is in need of a change. 

Community physicians say Australia should adopt the UK

regime which advises after five doses further boosters

are unnecessary”

See Lancet Volume 348, November 2, 1996, pgs 1185-86

Journal of Family Practice, Volume 44, no. 3 March, 1997, pgs 299 - 303.

“Elevated Antitoxin Titers in a Man with Generalized Tetanus.”

“...This report describes severe, generalized tetanus in a 29-year old man who had received a primary series as a child and two booster injections.  Serum obtained before administration of tetanus immune globulin showed antibody titers to tetanus greater than 100 times the level considered protective.”

My comments.  The person had a history of amphetamine abuse...and although some drugs such as strychnine which is commonly used in street drugs as a “cutting” agent, and others such as haloperidol, piperazines and some antidepressants can cause muscles spasms reminiscent of tetanus, these drugs can be identified in the urine.

I have personally known only one person who had tetanus.  She was 26, had also had a primary schedule and more than one booster, though she didn’t know how many.  She was an alcoholic, smoked like a train and lived on trash-food. 

In addition, in Russia in the last diphtheria epidemic, most of the deaths were in immunized homeless alcoholics.  Says something, don’t you think....

Some other things to consider:

New Engl J Med, 1995, March 23, Volume 332, Number 12,

Pgs 761-766:  quotes:  “one fifth of older children 10 -

16 years of age do not have protective antibody levels”

·        yet we do not see rampant tetanus in USA...read on (nearer bottom) to see maybe why...

BMJ, 13 November 1982, Volume 285 pgs 1393-94.

Tetanus after allogeneic bone-marrow transplantation.

30 year old army sergeant bone marrow transplant for granulocytic sarcoma.  Six years before sustain open compound fracture of left tibia on army exercises.  Pin and plate inseted.  At the time booster anti-tetanus etc... Obviously received chemo to suppress immune system.  died...from tetanus symptoms, though autopsy revealed radiation induced pneumonitis, widespread hypoxic changes throughout cerebral cortex, Acute tubular necrosis seen in kidneys.   No organisms cultured from lungs or site of pin an fracture. Had received more than full immunisation schedule.. 

Interesting comment, since he was given the works (immunoglobin etc) “Prolonged immunosuppression is seen after bone0marrow transplantation, and cyclosporin A may have PREVENTED AN IMMUNE RESPONSE BY DONOR LYMPHOCTYES.” i.e. they were immunologicall intact, but biologically inactive...

Now don’t think about that just yet - hold it in mental suspension until you have read this one:

Scand J Infect Dis, 15:303-306, 1983 - “Overdose of Booster Tetanus Toxoid Given in Error: Clinical study.

Quote”  As a reaction to the overdose the mean titer as measured 1 yr later showed a sharp decrease compared to the level in controls.  This can be explained by the already known fact that repeated exposure to an antigen, or an overdose of antigen, will not continually enhance the immune resonse and may lead to inhibition or tolerance at either T or B cell level....after booster immunization there is an increase in the number or activity of suppressor T lymphocytes as well as a decrease in activity of B lymphocytes, associated with a decline in the synthesis of antitetanus toxoid antibodies at different stages following booster immunization.  Moreover, the magnitutude and duration of a humoral immune response to a specific antigen can be profoundly influenced by circulating antibody directed against the antigen.  The excess of antigen may increase the number of B cells.  In addition a possible feedback effect stimulated by the high level of toxoid antibodies may suppress the productions of more antibodies at a later date.”

Hmmmmm

Can you guys put all that together to come to a logical conclusion?

Three other points of interest.  JAMA Jov 19, 1982, vol 248, No 19.  Study done in unvaccinated Amish community (Amish don’t vaccinate normally) “Of the 16 subjects who demonstrated prior serological experience with tetanus, diphtheria, or both, six experienced a local reaction of pain and tenderness nine times, and one 53 year old man had systemic symptoms of fever, headache, malaise in addition to local reactions after the first and second immunizations, but not after the third.”

Think on that.  Why did the immune system not react after the third?  Had it simply had enough?  Given up?  And knowing that hyperimmunisation can cause a “stall” they didn’t bother to look at this, but just assumed he was  now “normal”  What is normal????

The medical Journal of Australia, August 7, 1976 pgs 216 -220.

Problems in the immunology and control of tetanus.

first, funny quote:  “The word average is always dangerous, as the legendary statistician learned when he drowned trying to wade across a river with an average depth of only three feet.”

Important quote:

“A quite different picture (antibody response) is seen in Group 3, showing the responses 28 days after a single dose of the same toxoid, in a rural, MARGINALLY NOURISHED, multiracial population of both sexes, with ages ranging from 15 - 94 years.  One third scarcely responded to a one-dose stimulation with the use of a high-potency toxoid...The results of tetanus immunization in the malnourished still have to be sorted out...For a variety of reasons, there is a crying need for a study of the immune response in the context of the biological environment and not as though it were an isolated in-vitro (laboratory) situation.”

And, my friends, these comments were ignored, and the studies not done... and they vaccinate in refugee camps children who are about to die, with impunity - not to mention the generally malnourished, as if these vaccines will save their lives....

Bangladesh medical Research Council Bulletin, June, 1984/.

Effect of Ascorbic Acid in the treatment of tetanus.

K. Jahan, K. Ahmad and M.A. Ali.

All ages and weights received 1000 mg daily of Vit C as supplement to conventional treatment(Stupid don’t you think?  Should have been dose to weight ratio, as with antibiotics....)

Mortality rates in

Patients receiving Vit C...........not receiving Vit c

1 - 12 yrs         00%                        74.2%

11 - 30 yrs        37%                        67.8%

“...the beneficial effect of AA as seen in this study appears significant...the studies on human patients of tetanus and the studies on strychnine toxinosis in chicks indicate that AA interacts with tetanus toxin as well as strychnine to reduce their toxic effect although the mechanism of this interactions is yet to be understood.”

This too, ignored and not studied further...( or as one NZ doctor said to me “What would a Bangledeshi doctor know anyway?” My fist remained very still, despite great temptation.....)

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