Epidemiological Features of Injury-related Tetanus in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2001-2006

This article describes the epidemiological features of injury-related tetanus cases notified by the Health Department of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil at the Information System for Notifiable Diseases (Sinan). Data from 2001 to 2006 were analyzed, which includes 225 confirmed cases of the disease. Most cases occurred in men (0.30 cases per 100,000 population per year). The main source of infection were cut and puncture wounds (39.1%). Legs were the most frequently injured body part (62.2%). The highest incidence occurred in the age group of >65 years old (0.89 cases per 100,000 population per year) and in people living in rural areas (0.31 cases per 100,000 population per year). Only 6.3% of patients stated having completed their vaccination schedule and 21.3% informed that they had never been vaccinated against tetanus. The lethality rate found in this study was 36.9%. Results show that, despite being a vaccine-preventable disease, injury-related tetanus is an important public health problem in the State of Minas Gerais.