© Yulia Lazarova
Galya Kondeva, Acting Minister of Health.
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Bulgaria has good immunization coverage against whooping cough, Health Minister Galya Kondeva announced during a hearing in the Health Committee of the Parliament. The aspiration of all countries is 95% coverage, ours is 92.4% in the last year, she specified.
From the month of February, the availability of a vaccine against whooping cough has been ensured in pharmacies for patients who are outside the immunization calendar. According to her, there are currently 650 doses of the vaccine in pharmacies, with the exception of those already provided by the state for children.
On Monday, another 2,000 doses are expected to be distributed in the pharmacy network.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been 314 cases of whooping cough compared to 4 for the same period in 2023. The highest prevalence is in Sofia – 214 cases, probably due to good diagnostics, Kondeva specified. No cases were reported in 11 districts. Earlier, during a meeting with acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, she pointed out that the situation is being monitored continuously, and the increase in morbidity is not a surprise, as such peaks are usually observed in a period between 3 and 5 years.
Reimmunization in adults and pregnant women
The Minister of Health commented that routine immunization against whooping cough for persons over 18 years old is carried out in 11 countries in the European Union, in 19 – for pregnant women.
She specified that an opinion was requested from the National Expert Council on Immunizations on both topics and then a decision will be made on a possible change to the immunization calendar so that pregnant women (in the third trimester) and the elderly are covered.
It was previously understood that the department will allow the first whooping cough vaccine to be administered earlier, a month and a half after birth, and not as laid down in the Immunization Calendar – after the baby’s second month.
Now Kondeva has indicated that he will also consider an option where there can be a tolerance of several months for older children as well. She commented on this after a question from the MP from “Continuing the change-Democratic Bulgaria” Elisaveta Belobradova whether it is being considered to withdraw the reimmunization of children who are close to turning 6 years old.
According to the Minister of Health, interest in the immunization of young children has significantly increased in recent days, where there is a violation or the immunization calendar has not been started.
Kondeva clarified that already at the beginning of April, directive letters were sent to the regional health inspectorates, the Bulgarian Medical Union, in which it is stated that all private doctors must examine the persons subject to immunization.
Diagnostic tests have been provided at the Metropolitan Regional Health Inspectorate, as well as at the Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, and criteria have been introduced for what cases to diagnose.
Highly contagious: how dangerous is whooping cough and how does it develop
Anyone suffering from whooping cough should be subject to home isolation for no more than 30 days. The non-sick and non-immunized are placed under medical supervision for up to 14 days, according to regulation number 6 of 2019. According to this regulation, when pertussis occurs in a nursery, the affected persons are placed under observation for up to 14 days, and the affected group under quarantine for the same period.
Expect details later at www.dnevnik.bg.
