Question - “A boy aged 6 years who had received no immunizations sustained a forehead laceration while playing outdoors on a farm; the wound was cleaned and sutured at home. Six days later, he had episodes of crying, jaw clenching, and involuntary upper extremity muscle spasms, followed by arching of the neck and back (opisthotonus) and generalized spasticity. Later that day, at the onset of breathing difficulty, the parents contacted emergency medical services, who air-transported him directly to a tertiary pediatric medical center.” What is this child’s diagnosis?
Answer- The cited reference reported “The boy subsequently received a diagnosis of tetanus and required approximately 8 weeks of inpatient care, followed by rehabilitation care, before he was able to resume normal activities.” (Guzman-Cottrill JA et al. Notes from the field: tetanus in an unvaccinated child-Oregon, 2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019;68:231-232. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr6809a3)