Tetanus, though rare in the United States, can have severe consequences if untreated, and experts are highlighting the importance of staying up to date with tetanus boosters. In a statement released on Mar. 26, Dr. Michelle Barron, UCHealth’s senior medical director of infection prevention and control, supported current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that recommend adults receive a tetanus booster every 10 years.
Tetanus is caused by a toxin produced by Clostridium Tetani bacteria found in soil and excrement. The disease enters through breaks in the skin—often puncture or serious wounds—and leads to painful muscle contractions starting with the jaw. Without treatment, it is nearly always fatal. However, vaccination programs have reduced U.S. cases significantly: there were only 38 reported nationally last year and one case in Colorado in 2025.
Dr. Barron said that most U.S. cases involve people who were never vaccinated or had lapsed on their boosters: “While tetanus/diphtheria may or may not need to be boosted in adults, the decline in childhood vaccination and the siege on funding for public health will impact the rates of these vaccine-preventable diseases and will have many second- and third-order effects that have not been fully realized.”
The standard tetanus booster also protects against diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough). While diphtheria remains rare domestically, whooping cough has been increasing; last year saw nearly 29,000 cases nationwide—including more than a thousand in Colorado—the highest since 2014.
Barron pointed out that measles is another example of so-called ‘old-world diseases’ making a comeback due to declining vaccination rates: there were over two thousand measles cases documented across the country last year alone.
Looking ahead, Barron urged vigilance regarding immunizations as childhood vaccination rates decline: “Just looking at the increasing rates of pertussis and the current measles outbreak should give everyone pause about what the future holds.”
