9 questions about vaccination to doctors of various specialties

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Vaccination of children and adults has fallen off the agenda for the past year, and everyone forgot about washing hands after going out and got ready. Does this signal the end of problems with infections? No. Infectious diseases still exist, and our risks of getting sick and dying have increased after February 24, 2022. Has the focus of public attention shifted to the war itself and its consequences. Every year, the last week of April marks International Immunization Week – a regular occasion to remember the prevention of infectious diseases and the preservation of the nation’s health. We asked five doctors about vaccination of children and adults, in particular, during the war. Lydia Babich, pediatrician, owner of the clinic “Pediatrics with Love” Lydia Babich. Photo from her Facebook page – If you had to say one thing about vaccination, what would it be? – You cannot always be near the child to protect him from danger. And even if you are nearby, you have the power to protect your child, for example, from an accidental trip in the elevator after a measles patient was there, from a knee knocked on the asphalt. No matter how best parents you are, you cannot protect your child from dangerous diseases and their consequences. This vaccine will protect your child. – Is it worth doing additional vaccinations that are not included in the National Routine Vaccination Calendar? If so, which ones and why? – Ukrainian children need protection against rotavirus, meningococcus and other infections. Just like the children of the whole world. Read also: We are in evacuation. How to vaccinate a child? Ivan Chernenko, anesthesiologist, author of the book “Laughter at the End of the Tunnel” Ivan Chernenko. Photo from his Facebook page – Vaccination is often mistakenly perceived as a purely “childish” process. Should adults also be vaccinated? – Everyone needs to be vaccinated, because there is no magic pill that can immediately cure measles, flu, tetanus, etc. Therefore, it is easier for them to prevent vaccination than to treat the disease itself. – Why is it necessary to revaccinate against tetanus every ten years? – It is not so difficult to get infected with tetanus, because the tetanus bacillus (Clostridium tetani) and its spores are in ordinary soil. You can simply cut yourself while peeling potatoes, or get pricked by roses that were given to you, or get scratched by your favorite cat. Tetanus is a potentially fatal disease that can kill or severely disable. Yes, modern medicine has more or less effective drugs against tetanus (ed. – anti-tetanus serum and antibiotics), but they do not guarantee 100% success and may not always be available. Therefore, it is easier and simpler to regularly undergo revaccination and be sure that you are not at risk of tetanus. Read also: He scratched his knees and contracted tetanus: the revealing story of a 12-year-old boy from Lviv Oblast. Iryna Kondratova, doctor, head of the Kharkiv Regional Perinatal Center. The famous ex-football player David Beckham handed over his Instagram account to the doctor for one day, thanks to which the whole world learned about the heroic work of the Ukrainian doctors of the institution. Iryna Kondratova. Photo from her Facebook page – You worked in Kharkiv under shelling. Did you have to give birth in bomb shelters? Were vaccinations done in those conditions, which are required from the first days of life? – Yes, our perinatal center continued to provide medical care to pregnant women, women in labor, and newborns, despite artillery shelling, missile strikes, airstrikes and blackouts. We also accepted newborns from other maternity institutions, from home, from the subway. We do not have a full-fledged bomb shelter, so we gave birth and delivered newborns in basements with autonomous equipment and prepared evacuation routes. During the most acute phase, we discharged women in labor with children 8-10 hours after physiological childbirth, and a day later – after cesarean section, if there were no complications. After all, many families left the region for safer places. We decided not to vaccinate newborns against hepatitis B and not to do BCG if the child was discharged earlier than 48 hours after birth. This is in accordance with the vaccination protocol. Children who remained in the city could be vaccinated with BCG within two months after discharge. After the de-occupation of the region and the decrease in the number of shelling, we returned the vaccination of newborns in full. – Now there is a war and many questions for parents “out of time.” Tell me, should vaccination be one of the priorities? – Our employees communicate a lot with parents, and vaccination is a priority area of ​​our communication, as it concerns safety. In addition, pregnant women and newborns are more likely to suffer from infectious diseases. Now, young mothers refuse vaccination much less often, especially those who were under supervision in our women’s consultation. Because almost all parents understand that under conditions of uncertainty, our main duty is to protect the future of Ukraine and create a safe environment for children with the means that are available even now. My pediatric dream for the next year is a healthy, vaccinated, breastfed baby rocked by a calm and happy mother. Fedir Lapii, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, Immunology, Infectious and Rare Diseases of Fedir Lapii International European University. Photo from his Facebook page – Why is it important to vaccinate children against measles, hepatitis B and mumps? – It is important to always vaccinate children against measles, mumps, rubella, and hepatitis B. And too much – in conditions of war. More than 4 years have passed since the previous outbreak of measles in Ukraine. Now we are recording isolated cases again. I am sure there will be more of them. The number of cases of epidemic mumps – “mumps” in simple language – is increasing. And although children get sick relatively easily, the older they get, the more severe the course. Especially when boys and young men are sick, in whom mumps can lead to infertility. Vaccination against hepatitis B during wartime is extremely important for children and adults. After all, it is possible to get infected when providing or receiving medical care, from an accidental needle stick, even from a drop of dried blood. You can get infected anywhere: from playgrounds to active war zones. I emphasize that it is children who have the highest risk of chronic course of hepatitis B, the consequences of which are cirrhosis and liver cancer. – Do pregnant women need to be vaccinated? – If a woman is preparing for pregnancy, she should get vaccinations that she does not have yet – in particular, against hepatitis B, as well as update vaccinations against measles, mumps, and rubella. Vaccination of pregnant women against measles, mumps, rubella (MMK vaccine) and hepatitis B is no less important than vaccination against influenza, diphtheria or COVID-19, which are common. But if the latter can be safely vaccinated during pregnancy, the PDA vaccination for pregnant women is contraindicated – it can be done only before conception. Maryna Mamenko, Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Academy of Pediatric Specialties Maryna Mamenko. Photo from her Facebook page – What infectious diseases threaten children in Ukraine now? – Infections always threaten children. As soon as some “hide”, their niche is immediately occupied by others. This is well illustrated by the pandemic situation of the last two years. It was as if the flu “hid”, but there was a lot of COVID-19 around. The covid “hid”, but the flu was actively circulating. The same applies to other infectious diseases that can be prevented by vaccination, namely: measles, poliomyelitis, mumps – as soon as we forget about them, they rear their heads. War increases all risks – both because vaccination coverage decreases and because social and living conditions deteriorate. Congestion of people, dirty water, poor nutrition… What is not a paradise for pathogens of infectious diseases? Read also: You cannot leave the service if you have diarrhea. An interview with an infectious disease specialist about COVID-19 in the rear, on the front lines and other possible diseases

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