Unvaccinated Oregon Boy Contracts Tetanus, Spends Two Months In hospital for Over $800K In Medical Treatments

https://www.newsweek.com/unvaccinated-oregon-boy-contracts-tetanus-spends-two-months-hospital-over-1356077

By Donica Phifer On 3/8/19 at 12:43 AM

An unvaccinated 6-year-old Oregon boy was hospitalized for two months after he contracted tetanus following an injury on a farm. His family racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical treatment to save his life.

The report, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said this was the first pediatric tetanus case in the state in almost 30 years

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Doctors gave the child a diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) during the course of his eight-weeks of treatment, which the CDC estimated to cost more than $800,000. However, the estimate did not include the cost of air transportation, inpatient rehabilitation and the use of an ambulance, the report said.

Despite the recommendation of doctors, the child's parents refused a second dose of the DTaP vaccination and other vaccines.

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