Oncological or autoimmune diseases are not an obstacle to vaccination against whooping cough, said Dr. Kremena Parmakova

Oncological or autoimmune diseases are not an obstacle to vaccination against whooping cough. This was said in an interview with BTA by Dr. Kremena Parmakova, head of the “Infectious Disease Control” department at the Ministry of Health. At a doctor’s discretion, pertussis vaccination could be postponed in children suffering from chronic diseases, immune deficiency or chemotherapy, she added. At the last meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, which was on April 23, the MPs decided that within a month the Minister of Health in the official cabinet would propose regulatory changes and, together with the Minister of Finance in the official cabinet, provide funding for the necessary PCR tests for the purpose of prevention and whooping cough control.
Provision of the tests
At the moment, we have introduced criteria for which population groups will be tested, and probably in the coming days, depending on how the disease spreads, other decisions can be made which population groups will be tested, Dr. Parmakova also said . In my opinion, it also depends on the amount of tests provided, as well as when they will be provided, she added.
Hidden morbidity of pertussis
There is always a hidden incidence of whooping cough because the disease does not typically run for years. In most cases, the disease proceeds atypically, with mild and quickly subsiding complaints, there are even people who have no complaints. If there is no mass examination of everyone, we will never be able to establish the real morbidity, Dr. Parmakova also pointed out. It is important to focus on the severe cases and try to apply the measures there to the groups that are at risk of a severe course of the disease, she noted.
Proof of sham vaccinations
There is no way to prove whether an immunization is fictitious, even more so that vaccinated people can also get sick from whooping cough, since immunity decreases over time and does not protect people from infection, said Dr. Parmakova. According to her, the data so far show that it is mainly children who are sick, not the elderly. According to her, the reason for this could be the different vaccines with which the two groups were vaccinated, or the fact that over the years the adults have encountered the causative agent of whooping cough. Studies in other countries have shown that elderly people may have a mild or asymptomatic course of the disease. The data in Bulgaria show that among the groups of the elderly population there are only a few cases, she added.
No documentation of vaccinations is required for school attendance. Every year, health professionals require the preventive health card with immunizations written on it, but if the child does not have immunization, it does not mean that he cannot attend school, unlike the requirements for attending kindergarten, the specialist explained.
Contraindications for pertussis vaccine
The most typical contraindication is the manifestation of a side reaction – allergy, during a previous vaccination. At the discretion of a doctor, vaccination against pertussis could be postponed in children suffering from chronic diseases, from immune deficiency or when undergoing chemotherapy. Postponement of vaccination of adult patients is required if they are currently undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, as the body will not develop an immune response to the vaccine. Oncological or autoimmune diseases are not an obstacle to vaccination against whooping cough, Dr. Parmakova also pointed out.