March 26 16:50
The chief freelance pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Ministry of Health of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Anzhelika Belkina, told why measles remains one of the most dangerous infections. Her words are quoted by gornovosti.ru.
The virus affects the respiratory tract and eyes. The main danger is exceptional contagiousness. The contagiousness index of measles is 0.96, which means that upon contact with a sick person, almost everyone will get sick.
Complications are also serious. Young children often develop otitis media, bronchitis and pneumonia. In adolescents and adults, measles can lead to damage to the nervous system: encephalitis, seizures, and severe headaches. The most serious complication is panencephalitis, damage to the membranes of the brain, which can lead to intensive care.
The only reliable protection is vaccination. In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, children are vaccinated according to the national calendar: the first dose per year, revaccination at six years. This forms lasting immunity.
“Those patients who have been vaccinated do not get sick. I would say to anti-vaxxers that they should not be afraid of the vaccine, but of the complications. Everyone hopes for hope, but children who have not been vaccinated against measles still end up in our hospital,” notes Anzhelika Belkina.
Vaccination is free in all children's clinics at the place of attachment.
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