Can Increase Severity, Be Alert to Coinfection in Respiratory Tract Diseases

Two students wearing masks (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Infection of more than one disease or coinfection in respiratory diseases can cause worse illness severity for children. This was said by the Member of the Respiratory Coordination Working Unit of the Indonesian Pediatric Association (IDAI) Dr. dr. Nastiti Kaswandani Sp.A(K) said the cause

"So, if there is more than one, it is called coinfection. What is this coinfection? Coinfection can be two viruses, or more can be two to three viruses, viruses with bacteria, it can happen," said Nastiti through a discussion event "Recognizing and being aware of superflu" which was reported by ANTARA.

Nastiti said based on research reports obtained from children who were hospitalized due to respiratory tract diseases such as acute respiratory distress syndrome with symptoms of shortness of breath to the need for oxygen, when the causative pathogens of the disease were traced, there were often not only one but two or three pathogens.

Coinfection is a concept that always occurs in respiratory tract diseases and there can be more than one virus or a combination with bacteria.

Re-infection can cause damage to the cilia or the epithelium of the airways that serve as a cleaner of the airways from dirty liquids or air such as pollutants or cigarette smoke that enter.

Viral infections will damage the respiratory tract cleaning epithelium so that it is more susceptible to the next germs or viruses that will attack.

"And it has been reported that co-infection will aggravate or make the severity. Usually, the virus first and then the co-infection can be bacterial. For example, pneumococcal bacteria or other bacteria, it often occurs because the epithelium is damaged by the viral infection at the beginning," said Nastiti.

Regarding the prevention of respiratory tract disease transmission, Nastiti reminded that the influenza vaccination circulating in Indonesia prevents transmission quite well, about 62 percent, and prevents higher mortality. This means that if you are infected, it does not get as heavy as just fever, cough, cold, and does not get to the symptoms of shortness of breath or require treatment in the hospital.