Am I protected after Tetanus shot? (EXTREMELY WORRIED NOW)

[tracyliu]

Hello,

3 days ago I got cuts on my fingers. 25 hours later, I got a tetanus booster shot. I had at least 2 Tetanus shot when I was a baby and another shot when I was 14. I am 26 now.

1. How long does it take for my booster shot to kick in? I heard that if you never have tetanus vaccine before, it will take 2 weeks to be effective. But if you got it before, then it only takes several days to boost up your immune system. What is the minimum days and the maximum days for it to kick in? 2 days, 4 days or more than that?

2. Let's assume it takes 5 days to be effective. If during those 5 days, I don't have any symptoms of tetanus, does it mean I am safe and don't need to worry about it anymore?

I know symptoms can vary from 3 days to 2 months, but is it because it takes time for the bacterial to release the toxin, or is it because the toxin can stay inside the body but hasn't made any symptoms yet? From what I understand, once the bacterial releases the toxin inside the body, it will make symptoms immediately, is that correct? If it's correct, does it mean if I don't have any symptoms at the moment, then I don't have tetanus at the moment? And once my tetanus starts to be effective, without any symptoms before, I can be assured I will not have tetanus in the future?

Is there any possibility that after my tetanus shot already work, the toxin still can affect me/cause symptoms later?

(Let's rule out the case that the tetanus shot doesn't work for my body).

Thank you!!!

[hrocks]

I did a lot of research on the actual tetanus disease when I had questions about the effectiveness of the shots. I urge you to read how the disease develops, and statistics of people who have gotten it or died from it. It's so incredibly rare. Be sure to keep your wound clean, and use hydrogen peroxide on it often. The bacteria that causes tetanus dies when it is exposed to oxygen, and is found in the intestines of animals.