Experts warn against measles and whooping cough: “Cases are increasing, precautions must be taken”

Stating that they encounter measles and whooping cough cases more frequently compared to the past, experts said, “In recent years, vaccination rates have started to decline. Measles is an infection that is transmitted much faster than Covid. An outbreak has not been reported yet, but there may be an outbreak among the possibilities,” they warned, emphasizing the importance of vaccination.

Recently, it is stated that there has been an increase in diseases such as measles and whooping cough in many countries around the world. Experts state that situations such as lack of doses in vaccines and vaccine refusal can cause serious problems by causing the spread of infectious diseases. Prof. Dr. Eda Kepenekli from the Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Biruni University Hospital and Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Deniz Aygün from Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine pointed out that there has been an increase in whooping cough and measles cases compared to the past. Prof. Dr. Kepenekli and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aygün gave information about the symptoms of whooping cough and measles and emphasized the importance of vaccination.

“We can lose babies, whooping cough should not be dismissed”

Giving information about whooping cough, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. Eda Kepenekli said, “If we look at the notifications from our colleagues working both in Istanbul and other provinces, there is an increase in whooping cough cases. I think one of the reasons is that we are no longer able to diagnose whooping cough better. Another reason is that the pertussis microbe can sometimes show resistance to the classical antibiotics we use in whooping cough, which can cause treatment failures. Although we give treatment in the community, there may be spread. Another important reason is the anti-vaccination or vaccine instability, which we have unfortunately started to see more frequently in our country in recent years. Our most important weapon is to vaccinate both infancy vaccines and pregnant women or anyone who will come into contact with or care for the baby against whooping cough. The group with the most severe course of whooping cough is individuals under 2 years of age, but the group with the most severe course is infants under 6 months of age. While we see whooping cough in older children in the form of coughing fits and attacks without fever, they are usually relieved with a sigh. Sometimes the family may say, 'He vomits with phlegm and then he gets relieved'. In small babies, they may stop breathing after a coughing fit, sometimes we even call it apnea, they may die with apnea attacks, they may need intensive care.  Sometimes it causes such a severe increase in intracranial pressure that we can have a coughing fit, intracranial hemorrhage and unfortunately babies can die. Pertussis should not be mentioned, its complications are very severe, especially in young babies. It can be vaccinated against whooping cough in the last 3 months of pregnancy, this is actually the most effective method for a mother to protect her baby from whooping cough.”

“We started to see diseases that we had forgotten to see, that we had not seen for years again”

Making statements about measles, Prof. Dr. Kepenekli said, “2 years ago, we experienced a very significant increase in the number of cases, an epidemic. We started to see measles cases on both the Anatolian and European sides. We had determined and reported with our colleagues that the cases started with children who were against vaccination or whose vaccines were insufficient or incomplete. This epidemic could be brought under control, albeit within a few months, but we had to hospitalize dozens of children and monitor them. There was a breakdown in the vaccine, which is our most important shield against measles. The measles vaccine is a vaccine that we have been using for years both in Turkey and around the world, and we know its effects and side effects very well, and we have a lot of experience with it. Measles has a slightly more severe clinical course among rash diseases. The rash usually starts on the face and head and spreads to the trunk. The body may turn red, as if the child has been exposed to heat and scalded. The distinctive features of measles are dry cough, redness in the eyes, accompanied by symptoms such as a runny nose and sneezing, as if it is a cold, and a very high fever. For example, in rubella, we usually expect a fever below 38-38.5, but in measles, fever can be as high as 39-40 degrees. There is a very successful immunization program in our country, and it is the greatest good they can do for children to remain compliant with the vaccination program. We usually see whooping cough in school-age children, they come with slightly prolonged coughing spells. We know that respiratory infections are both more frequent and more severe if there is smoking in a household. We see measles and whooping cough cases more frequently than in previous years. Measles is an infection that is transmitted much faster than covid. No outbreak has been reported yet, only cases are being reported. Previously, the routine rate of childhood vaccinations in our country was even above 95 percent, we were a very successful country, but in recent years, the rates have started to decrease due to negative approaches to this vaccine. For this reason alone, we started to see diseases that we had forgotten to see, diseases that we had not seen for years. Of course, there may be an epidemic among the epidemic possibilities. Unfortunately, measles is not a viral infection agent with standard antiviral treatment, so it is more important to protect against measles.”

“No mother or father wants to see their child in those harsh conditions”

Speaking about the number of cases, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Deniz Aygün said, “There has been an increase in the number of measles and whooping cough, which were not so common in the past years. Due to the pandemic we have been experiencing recently and world conditions, our vaccination rates have decreased. Vaccine refusal and indecision unfortunately affected this negatively. Unfortunately, a large number of cases of measles and whooping cough, which I did not see during my residency, are now being admitted to emergency departments. Both of these infections are vaccine-preventable diseases, and if we are vaccinated, we will either not get these diseases or if we do, we will recover very mildly. If we are not vaccinated, both diseases are infections with very severe complications and can even be fatal. Unfortunately, what we observe is that there are unvaccinated cases among the incoming cases. No mother or father wants to see their child in those severe conditions, they regret it after seeing it, they say 'I wish I had done it', unfortunately, our families understand the importance of vaccination after they have the disease. Both infections can be seen in any age group, but the age group that it particularly affects and has a severe course is the infant child. Unfortunately, the whooping cough cases we are currently seeing are very young children; 2-4 months old. There is no special age group for measles, we have young patients, we can also see it in adults and adolescents. Most of our cases are young children, we have the vaccine in our 2nd month, but they may encounter infection even before they have access to this vaccination opportunity, so there is a practice called the cocoon vaccination strategy carried out by the Ministry of Health. By vaccinating the mother, father, grandfather, elders in the neighborhood, we protect our little baby who has not yet had the chance to be vaccinated because whooping cough does not leave lifelong immunity. Cases are increasing, measures need to be taken. There is no pandemic like Covid-19, no intercontinental transmission, but we are seeing more cases than we have seen in previous years. Do not send sick people to school, take general protective measures, pay attention to the distance, because these infections are transmitted by droplets as well as the airway. I recommend that our national vaccination calendar be followed and if possible, seasonal flu vaccine should be administered to children.”