Question

Why does a doctor administer tetanus antitoxin and not a tetanus vaccine to a child injured in a roadside accident with a bleeding wound? Explain.

Answer 1

A tetanus vaccine would provide active immunity to the child. This will prevent him from the future attack of tetanus as antibodies will build up inside the body in response to the vaccine which contains attenuated or killed pathogens. On the other hand, tetanus antitoxin would immediately neutralize the toxins produced by Clostridium tetani.

Hence, a doctor administers antitoxin and not a tetanus vaccine to a child injured in a roadside accident with a bleeding wound because Clostridium tetani could enter his body through the wound.