Experts warned: ‘Cases are increasing, take precautions’ It is transmitted faster than Covid “It starts from the face and head and spreads to the body”

Giving information about whooping cough, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. Eda Kepenekli said, “If we look at the reports from our colleagues working both in Istanbul and other provinces, there is an increase in whooping cough cases. I think one reason is that we are no longer able to diagnose whooping cough better. Also, the whooping cough microbe can sometimes show resistance to the classical antibiotics we use in whooping cough.” Of course, this can lead to treatment failures. Even though we provide treatment in the community, spread can occur.

Another important reason is anti-vaccination or vaccine hesitancy, which unfortunately we have begun to see more frequently in our country in recent years. Our most important weapons are both infancy vaccinations and the vaccination against whooping cough of pregnant women or anyone who will care for the baby. The group with the most severe whooping cough is; Individuals under 2 years of age, but the most severe group is babies under 6 months of age. In older children, whooping cough occurs in the form of coughing attacks and attacks without fever, which are usually relieved by sighing. Sometimes the family may express it as ‘He vomits with phlegm, then he feels relieved’. In small babies, they may become short of breath after coughing fits, and sometimes we even call this apnea. They may lose their ability to sleep due to apnea attacks and may need intensive care.

Sometimes it causes such a severe increase in intracranial pressure that we can experience coughing fits, intracranial bleeding and unfortunately lose babies. Whooping cough should not be overlooked, its complications are very serious, especially in small babies. “You 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,” he said.

Making statements about measles, Prof. Dr. Kepenekli said, “Two 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 due to anti-vaccination or children with inadequate or deficient vaccinations. This epidemic occurred within a few months.” It was at least brought under control, 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. I think this is perhaps an aftereffect we experienced after the pandemic. The measles vaccine is a vaccine that we have been using for years both in the world and in Turkey, and whose effects and side effects we know very well and are very experienced. Measles has a slightly more severe clinical course among rash diseases. The rash usually starts on the face and head and spreads towards the body. It may turn into a red body, as if the child has been exposed to heat and has been scalded. The distinguishing features of measles are a dry cough, redness in the eyes, accompanied by symptoms such as a runny nose and sneezing, as if it were a cold, and a very high fever. For example; In rubella, we generally expect the fever to be below 38-38.5 degrees, but in measles, high fever can reach up to 39-40 degrees.