VICTORIA, British Columbia (UPI) -- Health officials in Canada's retirement haven of Victoria, British Columbia, are warning senior gardeners dirt can be deadly, as three deaths last year show.
Chief Medical Health Officer Richard Stanwick said three people over age 50 died of tetanus on Vancouver Island last year, and it's likely they acquired it from soil in their gardens, the Victoria Times Colonist reported.
"They were all people who haven't had a (tetanus) immunization in at least 10 years or longer," he said. "There's a lot of risk in the garden."
Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is an infection found in manure and soil that thrives on damaged tissue, and makes its way into the body through even the tiniest of cuts, he said.
It can cause contraction of muscles, stiffness, spasms and death, but can easily be prevented with vaccinations at least every 10 years among adults, he said.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Never knew of this. My almost 90 year old neighbor is still trying to do gardening.
I never thought of it either, gardening is supposed to be a great way to relieve stress, not get hurt.
I hope you can talk to your neighbor and ask them to at least wear gardening gloves :)
Post a Comment