Maternal and neonatal tetanus is mainly caused by inadequate immunization services, limited or absent clean delivery services and improper post-partum cord care. The disease has a major effect in Africa and Southern and East Asia, generally in areas where women are poor, have little access to health care, and have little information about safe delivery practices.

     Once the disease is contracted, the fatality rate can be as high as 100% without hospital care and between 10% to 60% with hospital care. The true extent of the tetanus death toll is not known as many newborns and mothers die at home and neither the birth nor the death is reported.

     MNT could be easily prevented through the immunization of women with TT vaccine for protection against Tetanus – a child born to a woman protected against tetanus is also protected from the disease in the first few months of its life, clean birth practices to ensure no infections, and proper cord care so a contaminated cord can not put a newborn at risk.