On the brink of a whooping cough epidemic, health officials are considering important decisions. They are considering whether to give the first whooping cough vaccine to the youngest at a month and a half instead of two. But together with this, the other two doses – at 3 and 4 months of age, should also be given 2 weeks earlier.
The idea came on Tuesday at an emergency meeting with Acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev. The reason for such a change is that there are still the most cases among babies up to 1 year old, and complications are more common among them. So far, there are no ideas for changing the immunization plan for the remaining three doses among adolescents, and according to the health authorities, there is no need to think about reimmunization every 10 years among adults.
They are considering declaring a national whooping cough epidemic
With the new 70 cases for the first 2 days of the week, the number of infected people in our country is now around 400. The number prompted the authorities to act. “This is a rare disease and with it 400 cases is a significant number. Yes, this is a national epidemic”, said the chief state health inspector Assoc. Angel Kunchev.
GPs are of the opinion that whooping cough tests should be covered by the Health Insurance Fund, so that the statistics are more comprehensive, and to relieve families. According to general practitioner Dr. Nikolay Hristov in Varna, the price is around BGN 60. “I have 2,500 patients. So far, I have not heard of anyone paying for PCR,” emphasized the medic.
However, the state has another plan – apart from Sofia, to have the opportunity to do free tests in 4 more regional cities. Funds are allocated to RZI in Varna, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora and Pleven, where there are laboratories attached to the university hospitals. From Monday they have to start this diagnostics. It will be free, but at the discretion of the RZI and according to criteria that have not yet been sent to them by the health authorities.
According to pediatric infectious disease specialist Assoc. Atanas Mangarov, the problem with whooping cough is rooted elsewhere. In 2010, Bulgaria, following the example of other countries, stopped using the whole cell vaccine against whooping cough because of its side effects. “She almost always had a high temperature and sometimes had seizures,” notes the associate professor. The acellular vaccines, which Bulgaria switched to then, fail to create herd immunity and provide shorter-lasting protection. “They do not give immunity to the mucous membranes, and those who are vaccinated can become infected and accordingly spread whooping cough, without themselves becoming seriously ill,” Assoc. Mangerov stressed.
Angel Kunchev announced whether there will be restrictive measures in case of a national epidemic of whooping cough
The health authorities have a different opinion. “The decision is absolutely right. No developed country will go back to the whole cell vaccine. One of the weaknesses is that the immunity is actually a little shorter”, said Prof. Kunchev.
Also on the agenda is the question of whether the youngest should be immunized 2 weeks earlier. “We need to make it so that we don’t send the mother out twice a month, but also withdraw the other vaccines 2 weeks earlier, in order to ease the work of the private doctors and especially the mothers,” noted the chief state health officer an inspector.
Most epidemiologists recommend that pregnant women be vaccinated in the third trimester, but there have been exceptions. “If a lady decides to get pregnant, it is good to get vaccinated before she gets pregnant. The antibodies are the same, they will also go to the newborn”, recommended Assoc. Mangerov.
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