Tetanus shot question.?

Question

(I know I asked this last night but my question got sent to the point of no return)

Ok so I completed my three childhood shots in 2001 (six years ago).

This weekend I hit my hand (I didn't slam my hand on it, I put my hand down and it was a pinprick like feeling) on a rusty screw.

I wanted to know if at that point I had a chance of contracting tetanus because I have read everywhere that boosters should be given every five years and was confused if the booster lost its power after five years or if five years was just a target range.

(I got the new Tdap vaccine today just to be on the safe side)

By target range I mean a target range one should get the booster.

Also, they did not give me that shot which you are supposed to get in 48 hours or something. They must have not felt the need to give me it. As stated earlier I did get the booster, but not that shot.

As of right now, It has been almost five days since the initial injury (Side note: my cut is now almost compleatly healed)

Thanks for that response, the questions really were :
If the last time I got a tetanus shot was six years ago, do I have a chance of contracting tetanus if I injure myself?

If I unknowingly injured myself lightly during the five years I had it and I hurt myself the next year, do I have a chance of contracting it?

Answer 1

The Va in my area wants you to have one every three to five years just to be safe, it sounds like you are going to be fine, don't worry, it would have swelled up by now if you had a problem.

Answer 2

You need a booster every 10 years, unless you have a deep or dirty cut, at which time you would need one in 5 years.