This is why the diphtheria epidemic will be worse now than it was in the 90s! Read on. I'll tell you.

No sooner had the hype around the measles epidemic subsided than they had already started talking about the diphtheria epidemic. People are in a panic, because it is a terrible disease and its consequences are frightening. Even doctors are not jokingly agitated, because many still remember the epidemic of the 90s. Then in Ukraine sickened about 20 thousand people, of which 700 died.





Many doctors remember those times with sadness and pain, because they lost human lives. Among these doctors is Andrey Snicar, an infectious disease specialist whose point of view we want to share with you. A few memories, a few words about modern medicine, a new epidemic and vaccinations. It's good for everyone to read!





Let’s first find out what diphtheria is and why it’s even worse than it’s painted. Diphtheria. infectioncaused by the diphtheria bacillus. The disease can occur in various forms, much depends on age, as well as whether the person was vaccinated. The disease in vaccinated people is very rare and passes in a mild form, and in unvaccinated people ends in serious complications.

The most common complications are observed from the cardiovascular and nervous system. Andrei Snikar says: The first possible causes of death of a diphtheria patient are from toxic shock, suffocation or acute renal failure. This is in the first days and sometimes the hours of illness. If you stretch, you may die from early myocarditis (first week).

If it spread here - from late myocarditis, early paralysis and again from renal failure - this is already a month from the onset of the disease. And the most insulting: death in two or three months - from late paralysis of the diaphragm and respiratory arrest, when you fed them every day immovable through the probe (neither swallow nor move such patients can not) and they have become your relatives. And there were deaths a year later (the so-called trace mortality) from the most severe heart damage, so caught up. And finished.





This is an eternal debate: some say to do, others believe that vaccinations are all lies and hoaxes, and still others say that it is dangerous. What can I say... You know, dear reader, all my doubts were dispelled by the following story, which was told by the doctor Andrei Snitzar. If you still have doubts, read it!





DepositPhotos Snikar says: I don’t remember all those who left, but I remember the five most, which I thought I would pull out. And Mitka. The most ordinary Roma child. Mischievous eyeballs with bright squirrels will skill, exuberant black hair, dark, smart face. Five years. The only child, by the way, the rest are adults. I think that’s why it’s more difficult with children.

He arrived late from the onset of the disease, as did most of the dead. The toxin has time to contact the tissues and you can not even pull it out of there with serum. So the earlier the serum, the better. It is only a toxin that circulates in the blood, binds. If it has already got into the heart, kidneys, nerves - useless, those very complications will begin.

Of course, we inject serum at any time, because the stick sits in the tonsils and continues to release new portions of the toxin into the blood. At least we'll tie them up so they don't add. Introduced and Mitke, although we know perfectly well, the seventh day of illness, all complications - to be. We saved Mitka from shock and kidney failure. And myocarditis started...

As he inexorably, menacingly developed: every day on the ECG a new sign, a new wave, lengthening the interval, arrhythmia. We drip in, cardiologists are around all the time, resuscitators. Three days. Total blockade. Five days, no pressure, no urine, titrate dopamine, stop, indirect massage, listen... Knocking? Knocking! Not knocking... Knocking!

Three times Mitke heart turned in two continuous endless days. I never had that again. They're lively, Roma children. The will to live is animal. He clings to life, to us, to the god of this indifferent.

Slowly, viscously, inevitably slipped out - like from your fingers, when you hold over the abyss and can not hold... On the fourth did not knock.





If only they had done it in time. diphtheriaIt wouldn't have happened. And the child would live a long life, and he would have a chance to grow up and be happy, but no. Many will now say that vaccinated people get sick, that the quality of the vaccine is poor, but this vaccine saves. Vaccinated children get sick, but the risk of complications is many times less.

And judge for yourself, 40 years, when vaccination was carried out without question, there was no diphtheria. For 40 years, our country has lived without diphtheria - two generations of doctors have managed to grow up without seeing it. Immediately after the introduction of mass vaccination by those old Soviet vaccines, reactogenic and imperfect, with poor levels of purification. But there was a system and people were vaccinated.”





Is there a chance that the diphtheria epidemic will return, or is it just a rumor? Unfortunately, not empty. The level of vaccination in Ukraine today is the lowest in Europe and one of the lowest in the history of the country. Only 47% of children have been vaccinated against diphtheria and even fewer adults. This picture has been observed for several years.





Collective immunity has now dropped to a critical level, and therefore an outbreak of diphtheria is simply inevitable. And many believe that this outbreak will be even worse than the one in the 90s. And there are a few good reasons for that.

It would seem that it is difficult – give the patient medicine and everything will be fine. That's the only thing. There is no serum in the country (not to be confused with a vaccine). Serum is used directly to treat an already ill person. In fact, these are ready-made foreign antibodies that fight infection. There is another difference between serum and vaccine - the first is already 4 years old, and the second is still there.





There is hope for early hospitalization, but there is little hope. Diphtheria is very easy to confuse with angina or acute respiratory infections, and this is most often treated at home. A gold watch is easy to miss. Even if you go to the hospital immediately, it is not a fact that diphtheria is recognized immediately. After all, again, this disease has not existed for 20 years and a whole generation of doctors has grown up who read about it only in books.





Because of all this, the epidemic will become much larger than the previous one. But it is still not too late to go to your doctor and get vaccinated, to protect yourself. And now there is no need for a conspiracy of evil pharmacists who need to sell their drugs - they are free for people. We just have to go do it. Remember the story of Mitka, look at your child and think again that you can save him. Weigh yourself again and make the right decision.

Have you vaccinated yourself and your children? Share with us in the comments!