Whooping cough is a serious disease caused by bacteria and is spread by both children and adults. In the beginning, it starts with a runny nose, fever, mild cough, but then the symptoms become severe, and if a young child is not vaccinated, the patient may not be able to breathe. This was stated on BTV by Prof. Iva Hristova, director of the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCCPD) on the occasion of the wave of whooping cough in five metropolitan schools and the death of two newborns with this disease.
It is no accident that the vaccine is in the mandatory immunization calendar, because the mortality rate from whooping cough reaches 2-4%.
“The most risky group is the newborns – a month or two before their first immunization,” she explained, adding that the two deaths among newborns in Kyustendil were probably due to delayed treatment.
Prof. Iva Hristova pointed out that prescribing an antibiotic initially suppresses the development of bacteria. “If the treatment is delayed, the expressed symptoms already show that these bacteria have started to release toxins,” she explained.
“Recognizing whooping cough – it starts as an acute respiratory illness with a runny nose, fever and mild cough. The symptoms, which are severe and lead to suffocation, develop in the following days and weeks,” explained Prof. Hristova.
According to her, vaccination during pregnancy would also protect unborn babies from the disease. After such a vaccine, immunity against whooping cough is created for 21 days.
According to Prof. Hristova, we may not reach 10,000 cases of this serious and dangerous disease, predicted by Prof. Angel Kunchev, if the children are vaccinated.
