Parents avoid vaccination; 29 children hospitalized in Tuzla and Živinice A measles epidemic has been declared in several regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as in the region. BHAAAS member Aida Ramić Čatak spoke about the current situation for N1. "So, according to the data we monitor, the situation changes from day to day. What is most alarming right now is Tuzla Canton and Živinice. Therefore, the situation has become more complicated not only with the increase in the number of children suffering from measles but there is a combination of children infected with a combination of viruses. It started with the first 12 cases at the beginning of this year, then with 17. Currently, the data is somewhere around 48 infected children; 29 were hospitalized." said Ramić Čatak. 
"The assumption is that we have somewhere between 70 and 75 children infected with measles in the area of Tuzla Canton, mostly Tuzla and Živinica. According to the data, it is about children who are mostly aged 1 to 4 years, less often 5 to 9. So, precisely the period when the first dose of the measles vaccine should be received, obviously the largest number of cases involved unvaccinated children, i.e., the decision parents to delay vaccination," she added. Ramić Čatak noted that immunization and vaccination are acts of responsible parenthood. "According to the law on protection against infectious diseases, he also ordered the implementation of mandatory immunization. In fact, regarding the vaccine that belongs to the regular immunization program, children should receive this MMR vaccine that protects against measles, rubella, and pertussis in the period from the age of one year, to 12 months. The second is accepted before starting school. Of course, it happens that in certain situations, parents postpone receiving the vaccine for certain reasons, but the health system makes it possible for children to receive the measles vaccine even after a year," she said. SEE VIDEO For those who procrastinate or for those who, for some reason, do not have enough confidence. Why is it important for children to be vaccinated? "As with any form of vaccination, especially here with measles. So, this is a specific situation; viral diseases do not have adequate therapy. So, it is specifically a type of measles, a viral infection that is very easily transmitted and spread among children. The data say that one infected person can infect between 15-20 people in the environment, that the virus can be transmitted for about 2 hours in the external environment between carriers of the disease, that it can cause a very serious clinical picture, and when the disease occurs and the child is not vaccinated, we do not have much of a choice. We can only act symptomatically, that is, treat the symptoms, but there is no real therapy. That is why we appeal that if we have at our disposal through the regular immunization program something called technology, something called technological progress and the victory of medicine over infectious diseases if we provide parents with free, accessible, effective, and safe vaccines, I think it is an act of responsible parenting to decide to vaccinate children because it is the only effective way to protect against infectious diseases." concluded Ramić Čatak. Different sources of information influence parents when deciding to vaccinate their children. Ramić Čatak appealed to parents to get information about vaccination and the quality of vaccines from the relevant experts. She appealed for parents to return to health professionals as a source of information. As one of the complicating factors during immunization, Ramić Čatak cited the lack of health workers, especially pediatricians. "I don't know how the health system will last if this trend continues; staff must be produced in a planned way," she concluded. (https://n1info.ba/)
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