WITH SBF DEAN PROF. DR. RIFAT MUTUŞ ON VACCINE AND VACCINATION
It consists of the informations about the historical background of vaccine and vaccination.
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, the wife of Edward Wortley Montagu, who was the British Ambassador in Istanbul in 1717-1718, mentioned very important information in her letters not only about her travels in Turkey but also about the social, cultural life and health system in Istanbul. Lady Montagu had suffered smallpox in Istanbul. She stated that the smallpox vaccine, which is not yet available in England, is widely used in Istanbul and that her two children were vaccinated in Istanbul. In the letter she wrote to her country, Montagu reported, in surprise and happiness, that "something called a vaccine" (variation method) was being made against smallpox in Istanbul: "Here, they are preventing smallpox, a very common and cruel disease in our country, with a vaccine they discovered. The best time for vaccination is the end of the hot weather, the beginning of autumn. After opening the vein to be opened with a large needle, they put the smallpox vaccine filled in the walnut shell, as much as the tip of the needle. Then they tie the wound and stick a walnut shell on it. No pain is felt during this entire operation. They do the same with four or five other veins. Closed parts of the body are selected for the vaccine. Vaccinated children are kept for up to eight days. They lie in bed for two or three days. Twenty or thirty pimples appear on their faces. But within eight days, they appear as if they have not been infected at all. The poison of smallpox is expelled from the opened wounds, and the spread of the disease to other parties is prevented." At the end of her letter, Lady Mary Montagu explained the reason why this method would be learned in England as follows: “Because I love my country so much, I wanted the vaccine to be introduced there too.” 150-200 years later, French microbiologist and chemist Louis Pasteur administered the rabies vaccine he developed to 9-year-old Joseph Meister, who was bitten by a dog on July 6, 1885, saving the lives of the child and later many others. During the period of his ministry until 1937, Dr Refik Saydam, who became the Minister of Health in Turkey after the proclamation of the Republic, enacted the Public Health Law No. 1593 (1930) and pioneered the establishment of the Refik Saydam Hygiene Institute on May 27, 1928. In 1947, a Biological Control Laboratory was established under the Refik Saydam Hygiene Center Presidency and a vaccination station was put into service. As it can be understood from these few examples, humanity has been dealing with infectious diseases for a long time, and with sterilization, destroying microbes and finding vaccines, very important advances have been made in medicine.
In other words, throughout history, vaccines have enabled humanity to successfully combat epidemics – and even erased some of them from history. Therefore, many children's lives were saved by vaccination, many diseases were prevented and the average life expectancy was extended. Vaccines developed against the new type of coronavirus (Covid-19) are also based on higher technology and knowledge than all other vaccines developed throughout history. In addition, clinical trials and evaluations on tens of thousands of people from various ages and ethnic groups show that the results are effective and it is one of the safest vaccines among previous vaccines.
As the Faculty of Health Sciences bulletin team, we sought the opinions of our Dean, Prof. Dr. Rıfat Mutuş, in this issue about vaccination, face-to-face education.
Prof. Dr. Rıfat Mutuş said that "I think that our students should perceive vaccination as a humanitarian duty rather than a choice in order to protect themselves and their loved ones, minimize economic losses and ensure social welfare, and thus contribute to the equality of opportunity in education." In the continuation of the meeting he said "In 2020, we faced the heavy burden of the disease called COVID-19. We lost millions of people due to the pandemic. The education of children was disrupted all over the world, and the inequalities of opportunity among students became even more visible during the pandemic." Referring to the statements of United Nations (UN) General Secretary Antonio Guterres, Mutuş said, "As Mr. Guterres stated, approximately 1 billion students could not attend school class due to the coronavirus. The continuation of this situation affects countries socially, economically and psychologically. The most important way to prevent this situation is to be vaccinated for now.”
Expressing that the Covid-19 pandemic poses a greater risk for the elderly and those who have chronic diseases, Mutuş warned young people that there are examples of cases where young and healthy people lost their lives due to Covid-19, both in Turkey and in other countries. He added that "Even if young people have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic, they can spread the coronavirus to people around them and pose a great danger to vulnerable people. For this reason, the young people need to be vaccinated as much as the elderly to ensure herd immunity in society."
Mutuş stated that it is the responsibility of all our faculty members and students to start face-to-face education and expressed his opinion as "Let's not forget that when you are vaccinated to protect yourself from Covid-19, which is a preventable disease, you protect yourself and your family. Getting vaccinated is currently the best way to secure the future of those you are responsible for."
Bulletin
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