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Do more or less of us suffer from dangerous infectious diseases? The National Institute of Public Health-National Institute of Hygiene (NIPH-PZH) already has the latest data from 2017. It concerns whooping cough, measles, rubella, viral hepatitis.
The data is provided on an ongoing basis, because every doctor in Poland has a statutory obligation to report new cases or suspected illnesses within 24 hours. Scientists are watching the reports with impatience as 2016 was a record year for this.
Whooping cough
After the number of whooping cough cases increased to 2016 thousand in 6,8, i.e. by 40 percent. compared to 2015, it has now decreased. In 2017, there were 3 illnesses. The experts, however, are far from happy. – Whooping cough is one of those diseases that we had a chance to completely eliminate thanks to vaccinations. We did not succeed because more and more parents avoid vaccinating their children – says prof. Włodzimierz Gut from the Department of Virology of the NIPH-NIH. Whooping cough is easily spread by droplets, attacks the respiratory system and can lead to complications such as pneumonia, otitis media and encephalitis.
Oder
A similar situation applies to measles – there were 2017 cases in 63 (in 2016 – 133, in 2015 – 48). – In 2016, an epidemic broke out in Belarus, as a result of which in Poland we also had an increase in the number of people who came from that region – explains Prof. Gut. The disease has also spread to other ethnic minorities who do not vaccinate and are hard to get.
Currently, sanitary services are closely monitoring whether the new cases of measles in Poland are still a disease of visiting ethnic minorities, or perhaps as a result of anti-vaccination movements and a tendency to unvaccinate children, measles is attacking Polish society. This would mean crossing a fine line of safety and the risk that unvaccinated people will become ill – both those who could not get vaccinated for health reasons, and those who were not vaccinated by their parents.
Rubella
In the case of another serious disease, rubella – in 2017, there were about 496 reports (in 2016 – 1,1 thousand cases, a year earlier – twice as many). However, experts point out that the statistics on this disease are imperfect.
– While each case of measles is confirmed by laboratory methods, in the case of rubella, only the suspicion of this disease is included in the statistics. In our laboratory, 20 percent are tested. all reports in the country and usually do not confirm rubella. So it’s a “paper” disease. In order to know the real scale of the problem and to know whether the Polish society or visitors are ill, we would have to investigate all cases – explains Prof. Gut. Rubella is especially dangerous in women in the first trimester of pregnancy as it can cause fetal malformations.
Tetanus, diphtheria
The number of tetanus cases remained unchanged – 12 cases per year. The bacteria of this disease live in soil, dust and water for years. Mainly elderly people living in agricultural areas are infected. The disease is life-threatening, treatment requires intensive medical care. Diphtheria did not occur at all.
Hepatitis B
In the case of viral hepatitis (viral hepatitis) type B, there were 2017 thousand cases in 3,2. chronic cases of this disease. A year earlier it was 3,8 thousand, and in 2015 – over 4,1 thousand. New, acute cases of this disease are more important. In 2017, there were 55 of them, a year earlier – 50. – Currently, people become infected in beauticians, acupuncture and tattoo parlors. These places are not subject to sufficient sanitary control. They are not necessarily equipped with autoclaves for sterilization of tools, as, for example, in all dentists’ offices – says prof. Gut. – Unfortunately, many people who use these treatments do not get vaccinated, and they should, in a similar way as in hospital patients, require vaccinations before planned treatments.
Hepatitis A
Alarming signals concern the sharp increase in the incidence of hepatitis A. Last year, the number of infections amounted to 3072, while in the previous two years – after 35. This disease of dirty hands, causing liver damage, is transmitted in 95%. by the ingestion (faecal-oral), usually by ingesting water contaminated with infected faeces.
Last year, it spread mainly less typically – through anal contact. Many of the cases involved men who had sex with other men. – Large festivals of these communities took place in Europe, some forgot about prevention and got infected – says prof. Gut.
Hepatitis E
In Europe, more and more talks about the problem of hepatitis E – a disease occurring in Asia and Africa, also found, for example, in Italy. There are no diagnostic tests in Poland yet. It is a dirty hands disease, like hepatitis A, and has a similar course. In Poland, there have been cases of bringing her from foreign trips. It is especially dangerous for women in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Syphilis, gonorrhea
The number of syphilis infections remains at the same level, and even slightly decreased – in 2017 it was 1567 cases, and in 2016 – 1589. – We are worried by an alarming increase by almost 10%. late forms of this disease – adds prof. Gut.
Gonorrhea – the number of infections is decreasing, although we still have more than 311 cases per year (393 – in 2016).
“Does it not concern me?” Mistake.
Despite a slight decline in statistics last year, scientists responsible for fighting infectious diseases feel a failure. Diseases that should be long forgotten, such as measles and rubella, still take their toll.
– Most of us believe that we lead a responsible and hygienic lifestyle and we will not be exposed to any disease. He thinks that vaccinations are not needed since there are no diseases. I answer: it is certain that everyone will come into contact with the disease – says prof. Gut.
As he explains, we live in a big village, we travel. When we go on holiday with our children to Thailand or Indonesia, we do not expect that we will get, for example, measles. – Meanwhile, we may hit a period of increased disease and if children have not been vaccinated yet, expose them to serious health consequences, because this disease is extremely contagious – says Prof. Gut.
One of the complications of measles is subacute sclerosing encephalitis, which degenerates the brain.
Alarming data
Unfortunately, last year has shown that the number of unvaccinated children is doubling every year.
According to NIZP-PZH, in the years 2006-2010 there were only about 4 thousand. such cases annually. In 2012, there were over 5 of them, in 2013 – over 7, in 2014 – over 12, in 2015 – around 16, and in 2016 – over 23. In 2017 – it almost doubled and amounts to around 40.
Why does this annoy specialists?
In the 90s, the WHO made the decision to completely eliminate measles in the world by 2010, and so did polio. If these plans were successful, we could completely forget about these diseases and the vaccines against them, just as we forgot real smallpox in 1980. It was close, for example in the US in the 90s it was possible to reduce the number of cases to a maximum of six per year, not counting infections abroad or people visiting.
Now the doctors there are very nervous again, because anti-vaccine movements have thwarted these plans, and we are dealing not only with measles, but with a whole series of infectious diseases. The emergence of a larger group of unvaccinated individuals, sensitive to the virus, means that we not only endanger those who cannot be vaccinated. Measles becomes a disease of older people, while the older a person gets, the worse the measles gets.