N.J. offers tetanus shots to Shore residents still cleaning up after Sandy

There’s a new concern for residents in New Jersey Shore towns who continue to clean up the debris from Sandy. Health officials are urging them to make sure they’re vaccinated against tetanus.

Tetanus is nervous system disease caused by bacteria that usually enter the body through a deep cut.

The Ocean County Health Department has been sending a mobile outreach van to shore communities to offer free tetanus shots.

Paul Blinn says his home in Point Pleasant Beach was extensively damaged by Sandy, and he decided to get a tetanus shot as a precaution.

“We’ve been working around the rubble and everything in our house down at the beach,” Blinn said. “There’s glass and nails and all kinds of stuff so I think it’s a good thing to get.”

Landscaper Steve Cajigas decided to take advantage of the free tetanus booster shots the Ocean County Health Department is providing because of his line of work.

“I haven’t had one in probably 12 years so I might as well get it if they’re giving them out,” said Cajigas, also of Point Pleasant. “I just figured it would be good because I work outside all the time. I work with stuff everyday that has nails and everything else.”

The booster shots can provide protection against tetanus for about 10 years. More than 500 of the free shots have been administered, and a mobile outreach van will travel to Sandy-devastated areas to continue to offer them for the next several weeks.