Td (tétano e difteria)
Published 8 November 2026, 22:44
Td — vacina contra o tétano e a difteria (tetanus and diphtheria vaccine)
One jab against two diseases at once — tetanus and diphtheria. It is the only vaccine the national schedule recommends for every adult without conditions: at 25, 45 and 65, and every ten years after 65. There is no tetanus-only vaccine on sale, so "getting a tetanus jab" here always means Td.
Where you come across it. The vaccination card, an appointment with the nurse at the centro de saúde, DGS advice before travelling.
"Every ten years" is the rule for those over 65. If your vaccinations were brought up to date in adulthood, the next dose is due twenty years later. And someone who has never been vaccinated, or does not know their history, needs not one jab but three: 4–6 weeks between the first and second, and 6–12 months between the second and third.