The Ministry of Health to allow the first immunization against whooping cough to be administered earlier, a month and a half after birth, and not as stipulated in the Immunization Calendar – after the baby’s second month. This was decided at a meeting between Acting Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dimitar Glavchev, Minister of Health Dr. Galya Kondeva, Deputy Minister of Education Emilia Lazarova and Chief State Health Inspector Assoc. Angel Kunchev.
The reason for the new measure is that currently the most registered cases of whooping cough are among children under the age of 1 and complications in newborns are more common. Even so, however, newborns remain without protection, so the measure seems rather palliative. Experts recommend immunization of pregnant women in order to create protection for the fetus, but this is not provided for in the immunization calendar. Vaccines against pertussis, which can be bought from pharmacies and for which citizens can be vaccinated against payment, are also running out, due to increased interest, which was completely absent in previous months.
According to Kondeva, the increase in morbidity was not a surprise to the experts. Such peaks are usually observed in a period between 3 and 5 years.
In Bulgaria, the number of registered cases so far is 314, compared to 4 for the same period in 2023.
Children with symptoms of whooping cough should not be admitted to kindergartens and schools, it was decided at the meeting. The authorities call on parents to also be responsible and, at the slightest doubt, stop their children from school and seek medical help.
The Ministry of Education and Culture is ready to respond to an increase in morbidity and, if necessary, distance learning will be introduced in an electronic environment for individual classes.
Glavchev announced that the State Matriculation Examinations and the National External Assessment will be conducted normally and no children will be harmed.
“We can calm the public, we are ready to deal with it,” concluded Glavchev, satisfied with the meeting.
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