Thanks to my microbiology class in nursing school as well as doing 2 semesters of independent study in microbiology and the micro lab (I think Stephen King worked there and got many ideas from there) I get them done regularly. They are opportunistic little guys with some nasty toxins (ranked one of the 3 most toxic - botulism & diphtheria are the other 2). The death rate is about 70% and they found that the older we get, the less immune we are, thus a higher death rate in people over 60.

Although it is becoming more rare in the U.S. in which vaccines are given, it is still a possibility to get tetanus. I like to play in the garden and the dirt and even though a little cut seems harmless, should the soil be contaminated with C. tetani (via horse/other animal feces) BAM I could end up with tetanus. Let's face it, manure is a great fertilizer.

Call me paranoid (thanks Mrs. Weider My micro mentor) but I don't want to take that chance. Now that I have MS, heck, I don't need any more spasms. LOL

However, Barb, you have to weigh the pros and cons based on you and your lifestyle. Like I mentioned, I love to work in the garden/dirt and for me it makes sense to get one done. If I wasn't a gardener or an outside kind of person, I don't know if I would get one done or not.