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I think the life time immunity thing must work - I've slashed my fingers up lots of times when I was on a building site - so not the cleanest place to be - bandaged them with electricians tape - just so the blood doesn't get in the way - and had no problems afterwards (although I do have a couple of scars to show for it! )

I'm beginning to feel quite queezy with all this talk of jabs, slicing fingers, bleeding for hours. I ever did like injections, have found a good excuse not to have them so I'm off now!

Tetanus vaccination is against the toxin they produce not the bug. The bug lives in soil and manure, not on rusty nails like our mother's told us. If you have had 5 vaccines in your lifetime then you do not need boosters. Most of us under 40? should have had a full course, its the 80 year old farmers who are vulnerable

Strangely, the practice was to give a booster at the time of a dirty wound, but that only really protects you for future cuts, not the current one! If you have done something really dumb like stick a pitchfork with manure on it through your foot, you will need immunoglobulins against the tetanus toxin too (especially if not fully vaccinated, and probably antibiotics to kill the bug.

The vaccines do not come seperately now and there is non evidence for any harm by having extra polio vaccine (polio still affects people in the developing world) or diptheria/pertussis which are both making a come back in Europe

As regards MMR, the Dr who did the research was being paid by families who were trying to sue, and he had to resort to paying kids at his own children's birthday parties £5 to get blood samples from them - not very ethical, nor scientifically robust! Please have your children vaccinated, kids die from measles

I believe that having a tetanus jab after an injury is merely a precaution for the next time you have an accident. Although a direct injection of immune hemoglobin (immunoglobulin) at the site of the injury is used to isolate the infection, but in effect it's a vaccine rather than a cure. If you actually got tetanus or lock jaw, a serious dose of antibiotic would be required, plus possibly even a life support system, it is a real nasty. Surprisingly actually getting tetanus does not provide one with immunity, so the only protection is the jab. It is documented as being a bit painful. Boosters are recommended once every 10 years, although it commonly considered that if you have had the full course of immunisation boosters are not required. Tetanus bacteria can enter though any break in the skin, including insect bites or even punctures from other vaccinations, or insulin injections. So a bottle of TCP, cotton wool and some sticking plasters are a must carry for any gardener or allotment holder. The symptoms of tetanus take from 2 days to 2 months to exhibit, usually around 14 days.

From the public UK government information seen below, if you were born after 1961 in Britain (that's under 46 years old), the chances are that you have full immunity from tetanus, how ever if you do get it, then you have about a 1 in 3 chance of dying from it. The majority of people catch it in the garden or at home.

Tetanus epidemiology in England and Wales
Between 1984 and 2000, 175 cases of tetanus were reported
in England and Wales2. Only 20 of these cases were
reported in individuals born after childhood
immunisation was introduced in 1961. Death was
recorded as an outcome in 29% of cases. The number of
cases reported annually ranged from 2 to 20 cases with a
falling trend during the 17-year period. The majority
occurred after a wound sustained at home or in the
garden. The average annual incidence was 0.2 per million
population; with the highest incidence in the South West
of England. Those over the age of 64 accounted for the
highest number of tetanus cases. The incidence of disease
in this age group was 0.66 per million, over six fold that
of the 15 to 44 age group and 3.5 times that of the 45 to 64
year age group. The majority of reported cases had no
history of previous tetanus immunisation, and unimmunised individuals tended to have more severe
forms of the disease. The case fatality rate increased with
increasing severity of illness.