Tetanus - The Last Bastion of Belief - Part 2
Informed Consent - Choose Wisely
(if you missed Part 1 you can view it here)
What about Tetanus shots?
The tetanus toxoid vaccine was introduced in 1938 as a compulsory vaccine only for military personnel. In the US, DPT vaccines were given as a single dose starting in 1950. In 1974, the current shot schedule – giving DTP or DTaP – at 2,4 and 6 months of age began. Tetanus and Diptheria toxins in the shots, extracted from C. diphtheriae and from C. tetani, respectively, are treated with formaldehyde to convert the toxin to a toxoid which is then adsorbed onto aluminum to ostensibly increase the antibody response to the injection. This process was developed in the 1920s and has never been changed – or retested for efficacy. And 100 years later, neither have the injections been challenged for necessity.
What’s in a tetanus shot?
There are at least 8 different shots available that have tetanus as an ingredient. Two of the most commonly administered DTaP vaccines are Daptacel and Infanrix. Their ingredients are as follows:
(NOTE: Vaccine ingredients are ALWAYS found in Section 11 of a package insert)
DAPTACEL - Each 0.5 mL dose contains https://www.fda.gov/media/74035/download
15 Lf diphtheria toxoid
5 Lf tetanus toxoid
Pertussis antigens:
10 mcg detoxified pertussis toxin (PT)
5 mcg filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA)
3 mcg pertactin (PRN)
5 mcg fimbriae types 2 and 3 (FIM)].
The shot contains 1500 mcg aluminum phosphate (0.33 mg of aluminum)
≤5 mcg residual formaldehyde
<50 ng residual glutaraldehyde
3.3 mg 2-phenoxyethanol (not as a preservative).
One last thing about DAPTACEL: It has not been evaluated for carcinogenic or mutagenic potential or impairment of fertility
INFANRIX – Each 0.5 mL dose contains: https://www.fda.gov/media/75157/download
4.5 mg of sodium chloride
less than 100 mcg of residual formaldehyde
less than 100 mcg of polysorbate 80 (Tween 80).
25 Lf of diphtheria toxoid
10 Lf of tetanus toxoid
Pertussis antigens:
25 mcg of inactivated pertussis toxin (PT)
25 mcg of filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA)
8 mcg of pertactin (outer membrane protein)
The ingredients between those two pediatric vaccines are really quite different. What if the doctor gives a different brand at a different visit? What if there is a side effect or an allergic reaction? Which ingredient is it?
Will we know? Do they care?