“The number of people infected with whooping cough is increasing every day. It is possible to reach a national epidemic”. This was stated by the chief state health inspector Assoc. Angel Kunchev. Whooping cough rattles students across the country. In Sofia, more than 10 schools reported infected classes. Since the beginning of the year, over 200 cases of whooping cough have been registered, while in 2023 there were only 4.
“The actual number of infected people is drastically higher,” Dr. Nikolay Hristov, who is closely monitoring the whooping cough situation, told Trud news. In general, people do not have money for research. Whooping cough can only be detected with a PCR test, which costs between BGN 60 and 90, depending on the price list of the different laboratories.
The test is a throat swab, which is not covered by the Health Insurance Fund, and the patient must pay for it himself.
“Both children and adults cough violently, but they are not tested because it is expensive. This leads to the other usual problem – the general prescribing of antibiotics without the need. Whooping cough, however, is not affected by an antibiotic,” he told Trud. Dr. Hristov.
He, along with many of his colleagues, are pushing for an immediate task force to discuss pertussis vaccination in pregnant women. The doctors give as an example the practice in the countries of Western Europe.
Currently in our country, babies are immunized after two months, so newborns are most at risk of getting sick. Among the other proposals of the medics is the introduction of reimmunization for adults.
“A vaccine in the last trimester guarantees that the baby will be born with antibodies transmitted by the mother. Thus, the newborns will not be in danger that someone will infect them with whooping cough,” commented Dr. Hristov for “Trud”, recalling the tragic deaths of babies in Kyustendil during the past days. The babies died of complications from whooping cough and were too young to receive their first whooping cough vaccine.
