The press conference titled "Vaccine Opposition in Turkey: Truths and Falsehoods", the much-debated topic of recent days, "vaccination", was discussed. Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur, Dean of Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine, stated that the points put forward by the opponents of vaccination have no scientific basis and said that immunization is important for public health, especially infant and maternal health. Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur said, "By putting forward these claims, you are taking away the most important weapon of humanity against the most important infectious diseases." Dr. Esra Şahin, Deputy Head of Istanbul Provincial Public Health Services, said that in line with the Expanded Immunization Program, they aim to have a vaccination rate of over 97% in children, to make 90% fully vaccinated and to vaccinate over 95% school-age children.
In the meeting organized by Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine and Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Health and supported by Üsküdar and Ümraniye District Health Directors, vaccination was discussed. Opposition to Vaccination in Turkey: Truths and Falsehoods", the importance of vaccination and immunization was emphasized. Üsküdar District Health Director Dr. Yusuf Taşçı and Ümraniye District Health Director Dr. Cemal Karaağaç also attended the press conference.
Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur, Dean of Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine, and Dr. Esra Şahin, Deputy Head of Istanbul Provincial Public Health Services, made statements at the press conference held at the Ibni Sina Conference Hall of Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine NP Campus.
Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur, Dean of Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine, said that the immunization program is the practice that is fully implemented in the health system in Turkey, and that it is the pride of Turkey.
Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur: "Anti-vaccine claims have no scientific evidence"
Pointing out that the points put forward by the opponents of vaccination have no scientific basis, Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur said that immunization is important for public health, especially infant and maternal health. Stating that vaccine refusal is not a new situation, Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur said, "There are still some opposition. The common feature of all of these oppositions are claims that lack the methodology of evidence-based medicine. There are a few studies, but when we say evidence-based, when we investigate a group, you also investigate its control group. You say, 'This one has this, this one does not'. It is not enough to say 'this one has it' because this one may also have it. Therefore, any evidence you put forward in medicine without control has no place in evidence-based medicine. The common feature of all the studies that opponents of vaccination put forward as scientific evidence is that they lack control groups. It is based on more rounded and subjective reasons such as 'belief, intuition or 'it seems to me' rather than objective evidence."
Infant mortality rates decreased
Noting that the infant mortality rate in Turkey was 156 per thousand 35 years ago when he started his profession, Sur said, "The Ministry of Health states that this rate is 8 per thousand today, while the World Health Organization states that this rate is 12, that is, an average of 10 per thousand. Maternal vaccination is also important. We will vaccinate more mothers and more babies to reduce these rates even further."
Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur: "Vaccine produced from cow gelatin is used in Turkey"
Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur stated that there are five baseless claims put forward by the opponents of vaccines, one of which is the claim that "pork gelatin is used in vaccines", which is related to religious beliefs, and said, "There are people who do not get vaccinated for religious reasons, saying that vaccines are of pig origin. It is true that there are vaccines produced from pork gelatin, but in our country, the Ministry of Health makes a choice and purchases vaccines produced from bovine gelatin. This is even more expensive than the other. Look at the scrupulousness in our country. In Egypt in 2010, health and religious experts from 129 Islamic countries came together to examine pork gelatin. There, the health experts explained to the clergy how pork gelatin came into the world. The fatwa they issued is chemically processed in at least 30 stages. The resulting substance has nothing to do with pigs. They say it is religiously permissible. It is accepted unanimously, not a single person opposes it. They are convinced that this has nothing to do with the prohibitions of Islam. As a matter of fact, today some Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia use some vaccines containing pig gelatin, but our country respects the sensitivity of its society much more and buys vaccines containing bovine gelatin, even though they are more expensive. No vaccine made from pig gelatin enters our country. There is no logic or basis for turning religion into a debate. We will respect religious sensitivity to the end, but we will also respect the health of children."
Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur: "The claim that vaccines cause autism has turned out to be unscientific"
Referring to the claim that vaccines cause some diseases, such as autism, Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur stated that the claim that there is a link between vaccines given to autistic children and autism in an article published in one of the world's most prestigious journals in the UK in 2010 led to negative effects and said: "This article, which established a link between 12 autistic children and vaccines, caused incredible results. UK immunization rates, which were 96%, fell below 80%. Many children were prevented from vaccination with a single article. When scientists examined this research, it was realized that it was done on 12 children without a control group and therefore not a scientific method. The journal announced that it was withdrawing the article. What could be the reason for giving credence to such a scientifically fraudulent article and not giving credence to thousands of articles that reveal scientific truths? This is a historical document. I am saddened to hear that only the effects of this article continue in Turkey and that there is a relationship with autism."
He also denied claims that it causes infertility
Noting that the claim that vaccines contain mercury and aluminum is also an argument used by opponents of vaccines, Sur said, "Sodium chloride, that is, table salt. Sodium is a very common substance in nature. Chlorine gas is also explosive. When you take them individually, we are talking about two substances that have these qualities. When sodium becomes chloride, the substance in the middle is neither sodium nor chloride. It is sodium chloride. Therefore, the biggest intellectual fraud here is to pull the chemical components of the substances used in vaccines one by one with tweezers and draw us into a debate over that molecule. This is a fraud that someone who does not know medicine or chemistry would commit." Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur noted that another claim made by opponents of vaccines is infertility and said that these claims are also unfounded. Sur said, "Vaccination has been practiced since 1986. For at least 20 years, vaccine immunization has been 90% or more. An average of 1 million 300 thousand babies are born every year. 26 million babies were born in 20 years." Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur stated that no baby can be shown to be infertile due to vaccination.
Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur: "You are taking away the most important weapon of humanity"
Noting that those who put forward such claims endanger humanity, Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur said, "Putting forward these claims is not humanitarian and just. You are taking away the most important weapon of humanity against the most important infectious diseases. One should bear some responsibility. If you want to protect your country, protect it from infectious diseases. According to data from the World Health Organization, 75-80% of the world believes that vaccines are protective and there is full confidence in vaccines. The rate of those who find the vaccine harmful and state that they will not get it is less than 2%. The rate of undecided people is around 15%. They, too, were selectively vaccinated. I think that a sane person cannot easily reject something as useful as vaccination."
Dr. Esra Şahin: "We provide the world's most comprehensive vaccination program for our children"
Dr. Esra Şahin, Deputy Head of Istanbul Provincial Public Health Services, gave information about the vaccination activities of Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Health. Stating that the vaccines are tracked with the Vaccination Tracking System after they come from abroad, Şahin said, "We apply the world's most comprehensive vaccination schedule to our children against 13 different diseases. In addition to forming the basis of preventive health services, vaccination provides protection against diseases, fatal or disabling important diseases with very small procedures. That is why we emphasize vaccination," he said.
A vaccination rate of over 97% is targeted for children
Stating that it is among the targets to have a vaccination rate of over 97% in children in accordance with the Expanded Immunization Program circular, Dr. Esra Şahin stated that this rate has also been achieved and said the following:
"We have an Expanded Immunization Program circular. We also have targets in accordance with this circular. To have a vaccination rate of over 97% in children, to make 90% fully vaccinated, to reach the target of vaccinating school-age children over 95%, apart from that, we have a vaccination program not only for children but also for pregnant women. We vaccinate against diphtheria and tetanus. This is important for both the baby and the mother because we ensure immunization in the child with antibodies passed from the mother. We vaccinate people over 65 years of age in accordance with elderly health. In addition, we provide vaccination services to many professional groups such as healthcare professionals, which are important for social immunity. We also provide vaccination services before pilgrimage and umrah visits. We also do these in our health centers. We currently provide these services in over a thousand family health centers with approximately 4,500 family physicians. Apart from this, we do it in all private or public health institutions. Vaccines can be obtained free of charge from the Ministry of Health. They can be given to anyone who applies free of charge."
Regarding the rejection of vaccines, which sometimes occurs due to the alleged use of pork gelatin in vaccines, Dr. Esra Şahin said that vaccines produced using cow gelatin are used in Turkey. "We know that this sensitivity is emphasized in the vaccine purchases made by our Ministry. Our ministry uses vaccines made with cow gelatin. These baseless allegations should not affect vaccine refusal," he said.