What is Tetanus?

Tetanus is caused by a neurotoxin produced by Clostridium tetani, an anaerobic spore forming bacillus.

Common ways a person can become infected is through, cuts, grazes, burns, tattoos, animal bites.

Tetanus cannot be passed from person to person.

The Tetanus Vaccination

In the UK, 5 tetanus vaccines are given throughout childhood

• The first three doses are given as part of the 6-in-1 vaccine at 8, 12 and 16 weeks old.
• A booster is given as part of the 4-in-1 pre-school booster at 3 years and 4 months old.
• The final dose is given as part of the 3-in-1 teenage booster at 14 years old.

Following this, boosters may need to be administered throughout the following years.

But what if you can’t remember if you had the vaccines or if you grew up outside of the UK? 

What is ProTetanus?

ProTetanus is a quick and easy to perform test for anti-tetanus antibodies. It allows healthcare professionals to check the tetanus status of patients before initiating unnecessary prophylactic treatment.

The test only requires one drop of blood and results are ready in less than 10 minutes. If a positive result is achieved, it indicates a level of antibodies at least 10x the World Health Organisation threshold.

ProTetanus is 85.8% sensitive & 100% specific, meaning it is impossible to get a false positive!

A positive result…

If a positive result is achieved, it indicates a level of antibodies present in the blood at least 10x the World Health Organisation threshold. No further action needs to be taken!

A negative result…

If a negative result is achieved, this indicates there isn’t enough antibodies present in the blood and a booster needs to be administered.

What is Specificity?

Specificity is how reliable the result of the test is. ProTetanus will never produce a result informing you that you have sufficient anti-tetanus antibodies when that is not the case.

How does the test work?

Availability & Cost

Select your preferred pharmacy to visit their page and enquire about this service or just pop in when it suits you.