According to a new report from the CDC, despite tetanus being prevented with a vaccine, cases continue to occur in the USA, with deaths predominantly affecting older adults.

Anti-vaxxers promote a false narrative that tetanus is not a dangerous disease that can be easily treated. Of course, they say that about all vaccine-preventable diseases, so there’s no reason to trust what they say about tetanus.

This post will examine this new research and what it may mean to you.

What is tetanus?

Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani and is characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually lasts for a few minutes.

According to recent research:

• Spasms occur frequently for three to four weeks.
• Some spasms may be severe enough to fracture bones.
• Other symptoms of tetanus may include fever, sweating, headache, trouble swallowing, high blood pressure, and a fast heart rate.
• The onset of symptoms is typically 3 to 21 days following infection.
• Recovery may take months; about 10% of cases prove to be fatal.

C. tetani is commonly found in soil, saliva, dust, and manure. The bacteria generally enter through a break in the skin, such as a cut or puncture wound caused by a contaminated object. C. tetani produces toxins that interfere with normal muscle contractions.

Tetanus is not a communicable disease — someone with tetanus cannot usually spread it to someone else.

Tetanus can be prevented by the tetanus vaccine, which is usually given as part of the Tdap vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). The tetanus component does not confer immunity to C. tetani — instead, it trains the immune system to attack the bacteria’s toxins.

Reported tetanus cases have dropped more than 95% since the introduction of routine childhood tetanus vaccination in the late 1940s, and deaths have declined more than 99%.

CDC tetanus deaths report

In a paper published on 16 April 2026 in the CDC’s MMWR Surveillance Summaries, Michelle Hughes, PhD, CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and colleagues identified tetanus cases that were identified through clinical diagnosis and reported to the CDC by state health departments.

Here are the key results:

• From 2009 through 2023, there were 402 tetanus cases reported to the CDC, with 37 tetanus-associated deaths.
• On average, there were 26.8 reported tetanus cases and 2.5 deaths annually, with a mean annual incidence of 0.08 cases and 0.008 deaths per 1 million population.
• The case-fatality rate was 12.4% among people with the disease.
• Most tetanus deaths (85%) occurred in adults aged 65 and older, with a case-fatality rate of 30.8% in those aged 65-79 and 63.3% in those aged 80 and older.
• 94.9% of individuals with reported tetanus were hospitalized.
• In cases in which vaccination status was known, 43.9% occurred in people without a documented history of tetanus vaccination.
• Vaccination status wasn’t known in 57% of the 402 cases.
• Among those who developed tetanus but had received at least one dose of tetanus vaccine, 58.8% had their most recent dose at least 10 years before tetanus onset. None of the tetanus deaths occurred in people who had had at least three doses of a tetanus vaccine.

Summary

Despite some of the wild claims made by the anti-vaccine world about the tetanus vaccine, it appears to prevent hospitalization and deaths from the disease. And even though vaccines have nearly eliminated the disease, unvaccinated and under-vaccinated individuals are susceptible to this dangerous disease.

Get the tetanus vaccine and its boosters. It might save your life.

Citations

• Hughes MM, Amin AB, Rubis AB. Tetanus Surveillance – United States, 2009-2023. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2026 Apr 16;75(1):1-11. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.ss7501a1. PMID: 41980046; PMCID: PMC13094583.
• Sudarshan R, Sayo AR, Renner DR, de Saram S, Godbole G, Warrell C, Duong HTH, Thwaites CL, Mehta AR, Coughlan C. Tetanus: recognition and management. Lancet Infect Dis. 2025 Nov;25(11):e645-e657. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(25)00292-0. Epub 2025 Jun 18. PMID: 40543524; PMCID: PMC7617864.

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