Paediatric Virology and the indisputable value of prevention
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- Published online on: August 28, 2019 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2019.7954
- Pages: 3257-3259
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Copyright: © Koutsaftiki et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.
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Abstract
Hippocrates' famous apothegm ‘prevention is better than cure’ (κάλλιον τό προλαμβάνειν, παρά τό θεραπεύειν) is one of the most valuable principles of Paediatrics, providing the milestone of all immunisation strategies currently used in neonates, children and adolescents (1). To date, the indisputable value of prevention has been highlighted in all ‘workshops on Paediatric Virology’ (2‑6). Table I presents the titles of all plenary lectures, oral and poster presentations, which were performed during the workshops, focusing on the value of prevention in the management of neonatal and paediatric viral infections. Along with the significant role of human breast milk in the prevention of viral infections during the first years of life (7) and prophylaxis against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (8,9), the examined prevention issues included the 60‑year‑old battle against poliomyelitis (10), the vaccination against hepatitis B in newborns (11‑13), the vaccination challenges against human papillomaviruses (HPV) (14‑19), the vaccination against mumps, measles and rubella (20), the prevention against influenza including the role of the intranasal live‑attenuated influenza vaccines (21‑25), the necessity to implement a vaccination policy in relation to immigration effects (26), the preventative role of probiotics in the management of viral infections in children (27,28), the emerging need for the establishment of prevention strategies against Ebola virus (29) and the overview of the anti‑vaccination movement (30).
Interestingly, during the ‘3rd workshop on Paediatric Virology’, which was held in Athens (Greece) on October 7th, 2017, the statements by the Nobelist Laureate Professor of Virology Harald zur Hausen (Heidelberg, Germany) on the significant preventative role of breast feeding and the mandatory necessity of male vaccination against HPV (4) attracted the enormous interest of paediatric trainees and junior paediatricians. In the recent ‘5th workshop on Paediatric Virology’, which will take place in Sparta (Greece) on October 12th, 2019, the top key messages of four out of five plenary lectures will also highlight the value and the need of specific prevention strategies and recommendations against RSV in infancy and childhood (Table II). As future therapeutic options and strategies are expected with impatience, prevention remains the principal tool for the management of neonatal and paediatric viral infections.
