A total of three cases of whooping cough have been registered since the beginning of the year in the Stara Zagora region, the local administration said. They are for a one-month-old baby, an eight-year-old, and an 18-year-old. The cases are from Stara Zagora and Kazanlak, and for the two students there is data on immunization. By May 10, health professionals must check all immunizations and reimmunizations of children in all children’s and educational institutions in the district.
The Municipality of Stara Zagora urgently informed all childcare facilities – nurseries, kindergartens and schools, as well as all health professionals about the measures required by the Regional Health Inspection in connection with the registered cases of the disease, Deputy Mayor Pavlina Delcheva reported, as quoted by the municipal press center. Unimmunized children will be searched for, including with the help of Roma mediators where necessary, although the problem definitely does not only affect children of minority origin, the Municipality of Stara Zagora also points out. “The fears we have had for years, that parents refuse to immunize their children and this could lead to a serious problem, we are already seeing come true,” commented Delcheva. The deputy mayor appeals to parents to be conscientious and cooperate, and the directors of children’s and educational institutions to also approach the problem responsibly.
Registered cases of whooping cough in Bulgaria now exceed 500, compared to four for the same period last year, the Acting Minister of Health, Dr. Galya Kondeva, announced earlier today at a press conference in the Council of Ministers. She added that this shows the tendency for the disease to spread epidemically. The Ministry of Health is taking measures against the spread of the disease, which include earlier immunization of babies, providing free vaccinations for pregnant women in the third trimester and expanding the scope of testing against the disease.
