Can you still get sick from a small scratch on a piece of rusty metal?

[Anonymous]

Tetanus?

Or no, because it’s just a small scratch?

[wankiam]

its very unlikely but it is possible... i saw one guy with his arm eaten away by that necrotizing bug thing that got in a tiny cut when planting stuff in his garden and cat scratches can bed serious too but usually all these things are avoided by simply washing you hands as soon as you notice any wound however minor

[WindowLicker]

Exactly. Although extremely rare, necrotising fasciitis can indeed get into the system via the tiniest of cuts.

[WindowLicker]

Yes, even a small scratch can let bacteria in if it has broken the skin. It's unlikely that you would get a serious infection from such a small scratch but it can and does happen in rare instances. That's why it's important to keep such things clean.

[Anonymous]

You probably can, but I doubt it's likely. Are you up to date with your tetanus shot? Wash it well and cover it with a bandaid, if you start to feel bad, go to a doctor.

[Venti]

Hi! Im sorry.
May i ask?
Do you need to worries about getting tetanus from a little strecth even though you already get large of dose from tetanus shot?
And even though i already clean the open wounds with soap and water for a minute

[Venti]

And i just get a tetanus shot in this year.
So it means it will be last for 10 years ahead.

[JosyJosy]

That it possible, but it's really rare. You need to be in a really bad place for that to happen

[TarrAva]

Yes you can and it has happened to me. It was a little more than a small scratch but as soon as you hit a small blood capillary you take a health risk if not disinfected properly.

The worse that can happen to you is to find yourself 6 ft. under because of an acute case of sepsis (blood poisoning)

The first sign of a sepsis on a wound that was not properly disinfected would be a reddish ring that forms around the wound. This reddish ring progressively gets bigger and hot. This is the first sign of an onset of sepsis.

Latest at that stage, you want to check with a physician because just simply disinfecting the would is not sufficient anymore.

If you ignore that alarm signal, then things progressively get worse until at the end, your inner organs start failing one after the other from bacterial infection.

Depending on how quick antibiotics are given and your general health state, you MAY recover but in many cases, it will be too late. If you are of frail health to begin with, if you are an elderly person or one with resistance to antibacterial treatment, then you have a very limited outlook to get better.

"A stitch in time saves nine" definitely applies to sepsis.

[TarrAva]

sorry, it was not meant to scare you. If you do not develop a reddish ring around your wound after a few days, you are safe.

I got carried away and just wanted to explain what could happen if a blood vessel was damaged by the would. In your case, it seems that the would is healing just fine

[RasmusAiken]

This scratch looks almost healed. You don't need a tetanus vaccine unless it has been more than 10 years since your last one. The most likely scenario for getting tetanus would be getting a puncture wound from a rusty nail you encounter in a place where there's animal manure.

[0112358]

It's a minor scratch, so the recommendation is to get a tetanus booster if it's been over 10 years since you last had one (for a more major injurty, it's 5 years).

It's not that likely you'd get tetanus, but if you get it, it's a big fucking problem, which is why the vaccine (which it's not to late to use if you go now) is so strongly recommended.

[dantetheexplorer]

Tetanus shots last for 10 years. If your last tetanus shot was less than 10 years ago, you're fine. If, however, you can't remember the last time you had a tetanus shot, you can give yourself peace of mind and go and get one. Better safe than sorry.

[SjE78]

you can but at the same time it can just simply heal up perfectly fine too

depends on your immune system and other factors that could be in play at the time

[Anonymous]

Did you somehow gain immunity to sickness lol? if not then YES it is still possible to get sick to a foreign material entering your bloodstream from a simple scratch mate.

[JimRSmith]

It's best not to dick about with something like that, if you're in doubt. I'd see the doctor.

[wankiam]

if i did that i wouldn't get any work done lol... i just wash it real quick but my tetnus shots are well up to date. i should mention i do a lot of steel fabrication so blood flowing is par for the course ;)

[Jessica017]

Ask you scratch may finger rust palangana Anti-Tetanus on June 24,2024 this year get other Anti tenunus again?

[AndreasM96]

Most likely not, but not impossible.

[madhatters4]

you could yes

[outside_Toronto]

Yes, it's possible