If you\'re like most Canadians, you\'ve probably made a checklist of all the chores you have to do around the yard or cottage while the weather is warm. Whether it\'s cleaning out the garden shed, planting your garden, or making repairs around the yard, it\'s time to get outside and get dirty.
But are you really ready? Carson Arthur, outdoor living expert and host of HGTV\'s Green Force and Global TV\'s Room to Grow, is reminding Canadians that their outdoor chore checklist may be missing one key element – protection against tetanus.
'When preparing for an outdoor project, I find that most people remember to take safety precautions like wearing steel-toed boots, sunscreen or mosquito repellent, but we don\'t often think to protect ourselves against hidden dangers like tetanus,' said Carson. 'Tetanus doesn\'t just lurk on rusty nails – it\'s in dirt, soil and dust, so you\'re at risk of exposing yourself even through simple things like kneeling in the garden with a scraped knee.'
If you cut or injure yourself while gardening or working on home improvement projects, especially outdoors, there\'s a chance of being exposed to tetanus bacteria.
The bacteria that cause tetanus are found everywhere in the environment, including in dirt, soil and dust. The disease begins when these bacteria enter the body through a skin injury such as a puncture or laceration, such as the kind you could get from a sharp tool or even a splinter. The first symptom is usually spasm of the jaw muscles, sometimes referred to as 'lockjaw,' followed by painful spasms of muscles in the face, neck, chest, abdomen, arms and legs, which can last up to a month. It can be fatal in 10 to 20 percent of cases, even with treatment.
Canadians can protect themselves from this potentially fatal disease by receiving the tetanus vaccination and it\'s recommended that adults receive a free tetanus booster every 10 years to ensure lasting protection. Canadians can contact their doctor or local clinic to check if they\'re due for a booster.
More information can be found at www.immunize.ca.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com
About the Author
For over 25 years, News Canada has been providing the media with ready-to-use, timely, credible and copyright-free news content. Editors, broadcasters, web and video content providers rely on News Canada for newsworthy content to effectively enhance their websites, newspapers and broadcasts.
www.newscanada.com
