Question
What are the symptoms of neonatal tetanus?
Answer
What are the symptoms of neonatal tetanus? 1. Incubation period: Varies in length, often related to whether the baby has received preventive injections, the nature and location of the trauma, and the treatment of the wound. Typically, it lasts for 7 to 8 days, but can be as short as 24 hours or as long as several months or years. 2. Prodromal period: Weakness, dizziness, headache, difficulty in chewing, hyperreflexia, irritability, regional pain, muscle pulling, twitching, rigidity, tightness of the lower jaw, and difficulty opening the mouth. 3. Attack phase: Persistent muscle contraction. Initially, it starts with the masseter muscle, followed by the face, neck, back, abdomen, limbs, and finally the diaphragm and intercostal muscles.