Should you get a tetanus shot if you’re injured while cleaning up after a flood?

After the flood passed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief — but once the cleanup began, many didn’t expect that the real dangers… were only just starting to appear.

Mud, rotten wood, rusty metal, glass shards, and sharp nails — all mixed together in the chaotic mess that everyone has to wade through. And just a tiny scratch, a thread-thin cut, is enough to open the door for tetanus bacteria to “ambush” the body.

Some wounds may look harmless, but tetanus is never “mild.”
Seeing that many people underestimate small injuries while cleaning up after the flood, Dr. Nguyễn Thị Kiều Trinh from Phan Châu Trinh University has shared expert advice to raise awareness and protect community health.
 

Illustrative image: source Gemini

Why is cleaning up after a flood more likely to lead to tetanus than usual?

After floods, the environment becomes a perfect shelter for Clostridium tetani — the bacteria that cause tetanus. They are commonly found in:

• Mud, soil, and contaminated water filling every corner of the house
• Rusty metal, sheets of tin, sharp nails, and wires
• Floating debris, broken glass, and construction materials
• Decomposing animal remains left behind

In slippery conditions, where people work continuously without proper protective gear, injuries are almost unavoidable. And just one wound contaminated with mud or soil is enough for tetanus bacteria to enter the body

How dangerous is tetanus?

This is not a disease that happens “somewhere far away.” Tetanus can put even the healthiest person into extreme agony:

• Lockjaw, unable to open the mouth
• Severe muscle contractions, the whole body becoming rigid
• Continuous spasms
• Suffocation and respiratory failure
• And even… death if not treated promptly

The scariest part is that tetanus doesn’t make the wound look worse — but its toxin is incredibly powerful. So, should you get a tetanus shot if you’re injured while cleaning up after a flood?
The answer is YES — and the sooner, the better.

The doctor will base their decision on:

1. The severity of the wound

• Dirty wounds contaminated with mud or soil
• Deep puncture wounds from nails or rusty metal
• Long cuts or wounds that are difficult to clean

→ These situations almost always require immediate vaccination.

2. Previous tetanus vaccination history

• More than 10 years since the last booster → get vaccinated immediately
• Not sure whether you’ve been vaccinated → get vaccinated to be safe
• If the wound is very dirty/long/deep → doctors will recommend vaccination even if you had previous doses

A small injection can sometimes be the line between safety and danger.

What should you do before going to a medical facility when you get injured?

To reduce the risk of infection, you should act quickly:

• Rinse the wound with clean water — do not scrub harshly
• Wash the surrounding area with soap
• Do not apply leaves or use traditional remedies
• Cover the wound with clean, sterile gauze
• Go immediately to the nearest clinic or hospital for proper treatment and tetanus risk assessment by a doctor

After a flood, we can recover our belongings — but we cannot recover the health we’ve lost. Dr. Nguyễn Thị Kiều Trinh

Small wounds aren’t as dangerous as being careless. Tetanus doesn’t give anyone a second chance — but vaccination is simple.
Clean your home carefully, wear proper protective gear such as gloves, boots, and masks, and remember: any wound contaminated with mud or soil should be examined by a doctor and considered for immediate tetanus vaccination.