A written statement was made by the Turkish Thoracic Society Respiratory System Infections Working Group due to the recent increase in respiratory tract infections all over the world and in our country, as expected during the winter months.
In the statement; It was stated that in order to protect from upper respiratory tract infections, which increase in frequency in winter months, and to reduce the spread of viruses, it is necessary to use masks in crowded and closed spaces, and pay attention to hand hygiene and physical distance. The statement stated that there are very limited test data in our country and that the viruses that most commonly cause these infections are SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), influenza (flu) and RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and included the following statements:
“There is still no licensed drug in our country for the treatment of RSV in adults. The SARS-Cov-19 virus that causes COVID-2 constantly changes over time. Sometimes these changes cause new variants to spread more quickly or efficiently. In such a case, the new variant may become more common than other variants in circulation. In general, COVID-19 symptoms tend to be similar across variants. Symptoms and how severe they are often depend on a person's immunity and overall health beyond the variant causing the infection. "Although COVID-19 still causes a very common disease, there are significant difficulties in its diagnosis and treatment." In the statement of the Turkish Thoracic Association, findings and suggestions regarding some of the problems experienced were also included;
1. There are quality problems in the kits distributed by the Ministry of Health and still in use, and false negatives are detected (the test may be negative even though the person has COVID-19). For this reason, hospitals try to use their own tests by purchasing them, but the Social Security Board pays the health institution a fee far below the cost for the test, and the institution incurs a loss with each test. Therefore, the tests cannot be used as widely as desired.
2. In health institutions that perform the test, in order to make a request, the physician must obtain authorization from the Health Directorate, enter the request into a different system (HSYS) using his/her e-signature, and monitor the patient's result from there. Health Directorates authorize only a small portion of the physicians who apply. Physicians entering patient-related information into both the hospital system and HSYS leads to a serious increase in workload and waste of time. As a result, physicians do not request COVID-19 tests either because they do not have the authority or because their workload increases. Now that the global emergency is over, COVID-19 tests will simply need to be treated like other infections.
3. When patients can be diagnosed with COVID-19, there are difficulties in finding medicine for patients to be treated without hospitalization. The drug called molnupiravir, which was produced in our country during the pandemic period and has been proven to reduce the risk of developing severe disease and death, is provided by the Ministry of Health to patients who are hospitalized due to serious illness. However, there is a large group of people who are in the risk group due to age or chronic disease and who are infected and fear that the disease will worsen within days. The drug shows its beneficial effect if used within the first five days following the onset of symptoms of the disease. This medicine can be produced by at least one domestic company. Now that the global emergency is over, it should be possible to purchase these medicines from pharmacies.
Flu Vaccine and Mask Use is Important for Protection from Viruses
In the statement, which stated that influenza is an acute viral respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses circulating among humans, the following information was also shared:
“Flu epidemics occur mostly in cold seasons. Type A and B viruses that cause epidemics are called seasonal influenza viruses. Influenza virus and COVID-19 infections present with similar complaints. It is very difficult to distinguish these two viral diseases without testing. Influenza infection is usually overcome with mild symptoms. The infection may be more severe in young children, older adults, pregnant women and those with certain underlying conditions. Oseltamivir treatment is effective in patients diagnosed with influenza and in the risk group. Turkish Thoracic Society and relevant national and international expert organizations recommend flu vaccination for people over the age of six months, especially those in the risk group. In summary, there are still problems in the diagnosis and treatment of two virus infections that affect the entire society and pose a serious threat to society and the healthcare system. The Ministry of Health urgently needs to make the necessary arrangements. Increasing the number of tests can reduce unnecessary drug use and drug resistance. As the Turkish Thoracic Association, we recommend the use of masks in crowded and closed places such as hospitals and public transportation vehicles, on the grounds that it will reduce the spread of infections, and we remind again of the need to pay attention to hand hygiene and physical distance.”
