After the temperature dropped in November, the number of citizens falling ill due to colds and respiratory infections began to increase. Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Prof. warned citizens especially due to the increase in seasonal transitions. Dr. Aysel Kocagül Çelikbaş stated that infectious diseases can be transmitted more quickly in crowded environments and that hygiene rules should be followed to protect against diseases.
Çelikbaş pointed out that cold and flu are often confused and stated that not every illness is the flu. Çelikbaş pointed out that risk groups should definitely get the flu vaccine. Noting that children especially in school environments get sick more, Çelikbaş stated that sick children should rest at home for a while to prevent contamination.
"IT TAKES SOME TIME FOR BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS TO ADAPT TO THIS PROCESS"
Stating that infectious diseases and cold cases increase especially during seasonal transitions, Prof. Dr. Aysel Kocagül Çelikbaş said, "Among the patients applying to the outpatient clinics, the number of patients coming with complaints of upper respiratory tract infection has begun to increase. The weather has become cold and the rain has started. It takes some time for both children and adults to adapt to this process. Viruses that cause respiratory tract infection, cold or flu reach people through contact and droplets. When we say droplets, we are talking about the body secretions that are dispersed into the environment during cough, sneeze or nose wiping. These are during coughing and sneezing." "They can spread up to 1 meter away from the body. For this reason, there is a high probability that children will transmit the disease to their friends sitting next to them or to their friends sitting in front of them or behind them during coughing or sneezing. Thus, the disease rate increases during these periods, especially during seasonal transitions."
"WE NEED TO TEACH CHILDREN HOW TO WASH THEIR HAND"
Stating that hygiene rules should be given importance to protect children from diseases, Çelikbaş said, "If children have not attended nursery or kindergarten before, they get sick very often when they are in a public environment for the first time. They get sick very often until they develop a certain level of immunity. Also, the fact that they do not know the protection measures increases this risk. We need to teach children how to wash hands very well. Because viruses are transmitted by contact and droplets. For example, it gets on the table, the child touches there, then eats something, touches his hand and mouth. In managing this process, hands are often used. Washing is very important for protection. Covering the mouth with the inside of your arm when coughing or sneezing is one of the important measures to prevent spreading the disease. Symptoms appear within a day or two after infection. After that, it can be contagious for at least 4-5 days. For adults, we also keep children away from school for 4-5 days so that they do not go to work and spread the disease. "We may have a chance to prevent its spread or reduce the number of people exposed," he said.
"MOST OF THE DISEASES MISTAKEN FOR FLU ARE COLDS"
Referring to the differences between the common cold and the flu, Çelikbaş said, "The picture we call flu is very different from the common cold. While the common cold progresses with symptoms such as a little weakness, a little headache, runny nose, and sneezing, the flu has fever, severe cough, and muscle and joint pain that makes it difficult to get out of bed. The flu is a very severe, different picture. It is necessary to distinguish these two. Most of the diseases that they say 'I was vaccinated, but I got the flu despite that' are colds. The elderly, those with chronic lung disease, kidney disease "Sick people who have heart failure, liver failure, those who are treated for cancer, or who are around people whose immunity is suppressed for other reasons, need to wear a mask, this is important to prevent the spread of secretions around," he said.
"I DO NOT RECOMMEND YOU TO CONTACT EMERGENCY SERVICES IN CASE OF COLD OR FLU"
Providing information about treatment methods and the application process to health institutions, Prof. Dr. Aysel Kocagül Çelikbaş said, "A new vaccine is prepared every year with the recommendations of the World Health Organization. Immunization should start at the end of September and the beginning of October. Vaccination can now be done by the end of December. For this reason, I attach great importance to the vaccination of risky groups. Because after influenza, bacterial pneumonia may occur, encephalitis may occur, and different complications may arise. Vaccination season has come to prevent these. If they are in risk groups, I recommend everyone to be vaccinated. Of course, the protection of the vaccine is not 100 percent. The rate of preventing the disease is not 100 percent." It is around 60 percent, but even if the person is caught, it has been shown that the vaccine prevents hospitalization and deaths due to flu. That's why I attach great importance to the vaccine. The treatment of the common cold is rest. There is an antiviral treatment for the flu if you apply it within the first 48 hours. It is actually an antiviral agent that prevents the duration of the disease, prevents hospitalizations and prevents death. Our family medicine specialists can now manage this process. "They have that level of knowledge. That's why I don't recommend going to emergency services when you have a cold," he said.
