Infectious mononucleosis during the war and covid infection pandemic in Ukraine

Abstract

Currently, the issue of infectious mononucleosis is relevant due to the following main factors: the rising incidence of morbidity in Ukraine over the past 3 years, the great variability of the clinical course of the disease and the complexity of specific diagnostics, which leads to a large percentage of diagnostic errors, the general infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which can affect the immune system. Antibodies to EBV are detected in 15% of children under 1 year of age and 90% of adults. All this is caused by a large number of risk factors: migration of the population from temporarily occupied territories, overcrowding of people in places of refuge from the war, changes in the quality of food, humanitarian difficulties, the action of chemicals, stress and immunosuppression. The war led to an increase in viral etiology and an increase in the share of children with secondary bacterial complications, a decrease in the percentage of vaccinated persons according to the vaccination calendar. We know that after such childhood infections as measles and chicken pox there is lifelong immunity, then infectious mononucleosis is a rather serious disease that affects the immune system, epitheliocytes of blood vessels, can turn into a chronic course and complicate the quality of life, causing concern to doctors.