Tetanus mortality rate among infants in rural China 2015-2021
In 2021, the mortality rate of tetanus among infants in rural China was 0.06 per 100,000. Neonatal tetanus was once a major cause of death for newborns in China and many other developing countries. This fatal disease is the result of an invasion of tetanus bacilli via the umbilical cord, which is usually caused by insufficient hygiene measures in maternity wards. With improvements to conditions in hospitals and a universal vaccine program covering all pregnant women, tetanus cases were rare in China in recent years.