A Benin-based Gynaecologist, Dr. Iwinosa Ehigiator, has charged pregnant women to take at least a dose of anti-tetanus injections to protect their newborns from diseases.
Ehigiator, who gave the charge in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Benin on Monday, said that the vaccine should be given between 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.
The physician recommended Tetanus Toxoid vaccination for all pregnant women to protect them and their newborns from tetanus and other diseases.
“It is very important to take tetanus injections. The purpose of giving the vaccine to women of childbearing age and pregnant women is to protect them from tetanus and to protect their newborn infants against diseases.
“The vaccines produce protective antibody levels in more than 80 per cent of recipients after two doses (1–3),” he said.
According to him, tetanus is a life-threatening disease for which there is no cure, but easily preventable with the TT Vaccine.
He said that one could get infected with the disease when tetanus bacteria, which were common in soil and dust, entered the body through an open wound.
“To relieve the pain and reduce any swelling, apply an ice pack to the site of the injection.
“Do not take pain relievers to relieve your pain, it is not considered safe for use in pregnancy. If you need a painkiller, take paracetamol instead.
“But as much as possible, try to manage without the help of a painkiller and use ice to numb the area,” he said.
(NAN)
