Vitamin A status of healthy children in Manisa, Turkey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Vitamin A deficiency is a major public health nutrition problem in the developing world. Even subclinical Vitamin A deficiency is associated with increased childhood mortality. Severe maternal vitamin A deficiency may cause increased mortality in the first months of life. There have been a limited number of studies regarding vitamin A status in Turkey. The aim of this study was to assess vitamin A status of healthy children in Manisa, Turkey.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Vitamin A status of 100 healthy children aged 36-48 months is evaluated. The children were seen during routine examination. Serum retinol concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Duration of breast feeding, age solid foods introduced, use of supplementary vitamins, weight and height, and intake of specific groups of nutrients on a daily, weekly and monthly basis were collected from a questionnaire completed by the mothers. Height and weight z-scores were calculated according to national standards. Mothers of 20 of the 100 children were known to have normal serum and breast milk retinol concentrations. Children with normal serum retinol concentration were compared with the children with VAD. Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney test were used to compare independent variables. The Pearson correlation analysis test was used to test relation between numeric variables.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mean retinol concentration was 0.98 ± 0.32 μmol/L in the whole study group. Serum retinol concentrations were normal (>0.70 μmol/L) in 89% of the children. When children with normal serum retinol concentrations were compared with those with retinol concentrations lower than 0.70 μmol/L, there was no difference in terms of age, gender, weight and height at the time of study, z-scores, birth weight, birth length, duration of breast feeding, time to begin solid food, rate of supplementary vitamin use, and rate of infections (P > 0.05). There was not any relation between vitamin A concentrations and weight and height at the time of study, z-scores, birth weight, birth length, duration of breast feeding, time to begin solid food, vitamin use, and frequency of intake of specific groups of nutrients (P > 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study showed that VAD is a moderate health problem in Manisa.</p

Pertussis epidemiology in Turkey: Are booster doses necessary? [Türkiye'de bogmaca epidemiyolojisi: Pekiştirme aşi dozlar? gerekli mi?]

Aim: In Turkey, routine childhood pertussis immunization with whole cell pertusis vaccine (DTP) has been given since 1968. Pertussis vaccine has been administered in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th months of life, in combination with a booster dose administered between the 16th and 24th months. Acellular pertussis vaccine has been administered since 2007. It is observed that vaccination coverage rates steadily increased and pertussis incidence decreased by years (with time? over the years?). Third-dose DTP vaccination coverage increased from 1970 (20-30%) to 2005 (90%). In 2005, pertussis incidence tended to decrease (0.38 per 100.000) compared to 1970 (21 per 100.000). According to the available data of the Ministry of Health, Turkey appears to be reaching the WHO target, with a pertussis incidence of <1 case per 100.000, except for East Anatolia. However, pertussis still affects all age groups, especially adolescents, adults, and young infants in Turkey, and occurs endemically with 2- to 5-year cycles of increased disease incidence. It was noticed that the number of cases increased in 1997 and 2004 despite increased coverage. The incidence of reported pertussis among adolescents and adults has increased over the past decade in our country. Even though only up to 6.5% of the cases were ? 15 years of age until 2005, 16.9% of them were included in this age group in 2005. Consequently, the four doses of infant pertusis vaccination administered in Turkey is not sufficient for longlasting protection against the infection. A large number of schoolchildren, adolescents, and adults are susceptible to pertusis infection, and therefore improvement in vaccination procedures in our country is necessary. Booster doses of pertussis vaccine for pre-school children and adolescence might be considered

Rotavirus vaccines [Rotavirus aşilari]

Rotavirus is a major cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide and infects almost all children in the first 5 years of life, with severe, dehydrating gastroenteritis occurring primarily among children 4 to 36 months of age. Rotavirus causes an estimated 600.000 deaths and more than 2 million hospitalizations each year. A tetravalent, rhesus-human reassortant rotavirus vaccine (Rotashield) was licensed in 1998 for routine immunization of infants in the United States. However, the vaccine was subsequently withdrawn because of a likely association with intestinal intussusception. Recently, the efficacy and safety of two new rotavirus vaccines, the monovalent human rotavirus vaccine (HRV, Rotarix) and the pentavalent human-bovine reassortant vaccine (PRV, RotaTeq), was evaluated in large scale trials of more than 130,000 infants. The two new rotavirus vaccines have shown good clinical efficacy in preventing rotavirus gastroenteritis, especially severe disease. These vaccines prevent about 74 percent of all rotavirus cases and about 98 percent of the most severe cases, including 96 percent of rotavirus cases requiring hospitalization. There was no association between the new rotavirus vaccines and increased risk of intussusception. Today, these two new rotavirus vaccines have been licensed in more than 90 countries and are used routinely in several countries such as USA, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela and Panama. Vaccine doses should be administered at 2 and 4 months of age (2 doses for HRV) or at 2, 4, and 6 months (3 doses for PRV). The first dose should be administered between 6 and 12 weeks of age; immunization should not be initiated for infants older than 12 weeks of age (for PRV) or 14 weeks of age (for HRV). All doses of vaccine should be administered by 24 weeks of age (for HRV) or 32 weeks of age (for PRV)

Pertussis epidemiology in Turkey: Are booster doses necessary? [Türkiye'de bogmaca epidemiyolojisi: Pekiştirme aşi dozlar? gerekli mi?]

Aim: In Turkey, routine childhood pertussis immunization with whole cell pertusis vaccine (DTP) has been given since 1968. Pertussis vaccine has been administered in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th months of life, in combination with a booster dose administered between the 16th and 24th months. Acellular pertussis vaccine has been administered since 2007. It is observed that vaccination coverage rates steadily increased and pertussis incidence decreased by years (with time? over the years?). Third-dose DTP vaccination coverage increased from 1970 (20-30%) to 2005 (90%). In 2005, pertussis incidence tended to decrease (0.38 per 100.000) compared to 1970 (21 per 100.000). According to the available data of the Ministry of Health, Turkey appears to be reaching the WHO target, with a pertussis incidence of <1 case per 100.000, except for East Anatolia. However, pertussis still affects all age groups, especially adolescents, adults, and young infants in Turkey, and occurs endemically with 2- to 5-year cycles of increased disease incidence. It was noticed that the number of cases increased in 1997 and 2004 despite increased coverage. The incidence of reported pertussis among adolescents and adults has increased over the past decade in our country. Even though only up to 6.5% of the cases were ? 15 years of age until 2005, 16.9% of them were included in this age group in 2005. Consequently, the four doses of infant pertusis vaccination administered in Turkey is not sufficient for longlasting protection against the infection. A large number of schoolchildren, adolescents, and adults are susceptible to pertusis infection, and therefore improvement in vaccination procedures in our country is necessary. Booster doses of pertussis vaccine for pre-school children and adolescence might be considered

Rotavirus vaccine [Rotavirus aşi{dotless}si{dotless}]

Rotavirus is a major cause of severe gastroenteritis among children aged <5 years. Worldwide, rotavirus causes an estimated 600.000 deaths and more than 2 million hospitalizations each year. In addition to causing morbidity and mortality in children, rotavirus gastroenteritis creates a major economic burden on health care systems and families. A tetravalent, rhesus-human reassortant rotavirus vaccine (Rotashield) was licensed in 1998 for routine immunization of infants in the United States. However, the vaccine was subsequently withdrawn because of a likely association with intestinal intussusception. In 2007, the two new rotavirus vaccines [monovalent human rotavirus vaccine (RV1, Rotarix) and pentavalent human-bovine reassortant vaccine (RV5, RotaTeq)] have shown good clinical efficacy in preventing rotavirus gastroenteritis, especially severe disease. There was no association between the new rotavirus vaccines and an increased risk of intussusception Clinical studies and post-licensure surveillance data suggest that both rotavirus vaccines have provided adequate protection against rotavirus gastroenteritis in high- and middle-income countries in the Americas and Europe. In these countries, the rotavirus vaccines prevent about 98 percent of the most severe cases, including 96 percent of rotavirus cases requiring hospitalization. Although protective efficacy rates are lower than those from developed and middle-income countries, public-health impact of rotavirus vaccines in underdeveloped countries is more significant. The episodes of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis prevented in Malawian children were greater than those of the South African children: 6.7 versus 4.2 episodes per 100 vaccinated infants, respectively. In June 2009, the WHO's recommended the inclusion of rotavirus vaccination in the national immunization programs of all regions of the world. Vaccine doses should be administered at 2 and 4 months of age (2 doses for RV1) or at 2, 4, and 6 months (3 doses for RV5). The first dose should be administered between 6 and 12 weeks of age; immunization should not be initiated for infants aged 15 weeks and older and all doses of vaccine should be administered by age 8 months

The national vaccination schedule in previously healthy children: The practical recommendations about additional vaccines [Önceden sagli{dotless}kli{dotless} çocuklarda ulusal aşi{dotless} takvimi; Ek aşi{dotless}lar konusunda uygulamaya yönelik öneriler]

[No abstract available