Medizinische Universität Graz Austria/Österreich - Forschungsportal - Medical University of Graz
Gewählte Publikation:
Kohlmaier, B.
Epidemiological aspects of selected vaccine preventable
infectious diseases: measles, influenza and tick-borne
encephalitis
Doktoratsstudium der Medizinischen Wissenschaft; Humanmedizin; [ Dissertation ] Medizinische Universität Graz; 2022. pp. 83
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- Autor*innen der Med Uni Graz:
- Betreuer*innen:
- Pichler Alexander
- Schweintzger Nina
- Zenz Werner
- Altmetrics:
- Abstract:
- Since the introduction of the first vaccine in the late 18th century, our understanding of infectious diseases and prevention strategies has changed dramatically. Within the following centuries several vaccinations against viral and bacterial infections had been developed and saved millions of lives. Together with the growing understanding of hygiene, vaccinations dramatically reduced infant death rates and incidence rates of childhood diseases such as measles. As a consequence of the vaccination against smallpox, the World Health Assembly declared smallpox eradicated in 1980. Today, the benefit of vaccinations still progresses and we face new challenges - such as the COVID-pandemic – and opportunities, such as the globally elimination of big killers like measles. While we see a steady rise of development and approval of new vaccines, it remains important to keep an eye on diseases where vaccines are already available. After the introduction of vaccinations, we observed a drastic reduction of incidence rates and changes of several clinical aspects. This thesis focuses on epidemiological aspects of three selected vaccine preventable diseases. The first publication reports about measles recognition during an outbreak with thirteen confirmed measles patients in February 2017. Measles, a disease which is known to each paediatrician has become rare and many, especially young, clinicians have never seen a measles patient themselves. Of eight cases with no known epidemiological link, only one was diagnosed at the initial presentation; four were recognised with delay and three only retrospectively. A detailed analysis of cases is shown and possible reasons of non-recognition have been identified. The second publication describes paediatric influenza during the season 2017/18. It was the first active surveillance of paediatric influenza in Austria, which revealed much higher numbers of hospitalisation and fatal cases than in previous years, reported by ICD-10 codes. The third publication is a detailed clinical description of patients with tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) across several endemic European countries. It is the first international multicentre study using a common case record form (CRF) and confirms that TBE is still a dangerous disease with high rates of patients with incomplete recovery at discharge. In summary, this cumulative thesis gives an insight into three vaccine preventable disease, measles, influenza and tick-borne encephalitis with focus on clinical characteristics, transmission of disease, diagnostic challenges and disease surveillance.