How Much Does Tetanus Vaccine Cost
When you accidentally stepped on a sharp edge of a rusty nail, it is important that you immediately go to a health center or a hospital to get a tetanus shot, which prevents tetanus and diphtheria infections from spreading. As well know, a tetanus infection causes lockjaw and muscle spasms while a diphtheria infection affects the respiratory problems, and both of them can kill a person if not treated as soon as possible.
However, people can get a tetanus vaccination, which comes in different combinations of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccines, to protect them against the fatal infections. Before this article answers the question, how much does a tetanus shot cost, here are the common combinations of tetanus vaccines:
– DTap and Tdap are combinations diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (a whooping cough) vaccines
– DT and Td contain diphtheria and tetanus vaccine
*Take note that lowercase letters d and p signify lower amounts or strengths of diphtheria and pertussis, respectively. And according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DTaP and DT are administered to children below seven years old while the Tdap and Td are given to patients seven years old and above.
Average Costs of Tetanus Vaccine
Most of the time, tetanus vaccines are given during childhood years, but there are instances when adults undergo such vaccination, especially they are traveling to other places or pregnant for women. With this in mind, how much does a tetanus shot cost?
Typically, the cost of a tetanus vaccine ranges from $10 to $100, depending on the vaccine combination, your location, and whether you have a health insurance coverage or not. Meanwhile, the Tdap vaccine cost – a combination of tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis – may run from $60 to $65 for each dose.
Without Health Insurance
How much does tetanus shot price if it is without the coverage of a health insurance? For patients who do not have health insurance plans, the tetanus vaccine usually runs from $25 to $100. The costs of the tetanus vaccine come in flat fees, which usually included the price of the vaccine and the fee for the shot administration. Here are some examples:
– Tennessee-based The Shot Nurse offers Tetanus/Diphtheria Vaccine at $45
– Illinois-based Walgreens provides Tetanus and Diphtheria (Td) Vaccine at $54.99 and Tdap for $63.99
– Rhode Island-based CVS Pharmacy has DTaP for $100, Td for $90, and Tdap vaccine cost for $65
With Health Insurance
If you have a health insurance coverage, then expect that the costs of tetanus vaccines are lower and more affordable. As such, how much does tetanus shot price then? In cases when the patients have a health insurance plan, the tetanus vaccine costs typically come with a copay of $10 to $40 for the physician and another copay for the tetanus vaccination.
Administration of Tetanus Vaccines
Aside from knowing the Tdap vaccine cost and other fees of the tetanus vaccines, it is good to know when these vaccines are administered to the children.
According to the RxList, the initial schedule for a tetanus immunization is when children are still below seven (7) years old. It consists of five doses of tetanus vaccine.
– The first three doses are DT and DTaP vaccines, which are intramuscularly administered at intervals of four to eight weeks.
– The fourth DTaP dose is ideally given when the child reaches 15 to 20 months. But before this dose is given, the child must wait, at least, six months after the third dose is administered.
– The fifth DTap dose should be given when the child is already between four and six years old.
Side Effects of Tetanus Vaccines
A tetanus vaccine, which is also referred as tetanus toxoid, are given to patients who got wounded because of 
rusty metals. Aside from that, it is administered to people with HIV/AIDS and pregnant women to prevent neonatal tetanus. It is safe, but it has side effects that are not deadly and will eventually go away. Some of these effects are the following:
– pain and redness at the site of the vaccine injection, but these only happen from 25 to 85 percent of the patients
– less than one percent of the patients experience fever, fatigue, as well as, minor muscle and joint pains
– nausea, itching, swelling
If these side effects persist for a very long time already, then do not hesitate to consult a doctor. However, if the following rare but significantly serious side effects occur, then immediately go to your doctor.
– hearing problems
– muscle weakness
– tingling of the feet and/or hands
– trouble in swallowing
Apparently, one in 100,000 patients suffers from a severe allergic reaction, but this is a very rare case. However, the best way to alleviate such occurrence is to seek the expertise of a doctor right away. Watch out for these symptoms of allergic reactions.
– presence of rashes
– itching or swelling of the face, throat, or tongue
– severe dizziness
– trouble breathing
