Registered cases of whooping cough in the country now exceed 500, up from four at the same time last year. This clearly proves the tendency for an epidemic spread of the disease, announced Health Minister Galya Kondeva at a briefing in the Council of Ministers, together with the Chief State Health Inspector Angel Kunchev. They participated in a meeting on the health issue with Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev today.
Over 90 percent of cases are children. The risk group with complications and hospitalization are children under one year, and 84 percent of them are not immunized because of their underage or other reasons, Kondeva pointed out.
Therefore, the authorities have decided to take the following measures: first, the immunization calendar will be updated, allowing the basic routine immunization of newborns to start earlier – from the 6th week; second, the Ministry of Health will provide an opportunity for all pregnant women between 27 and 36 weeks of gestation to be immunized for free if they wish, regardless of whether they have health insurance or not.
For emergency immunizations, a special organization will be created in the regional health inspectorates. There will be offices for free vaccination in every regional city, said Angel Kunchev. He assured that sufficient vaccines were available. Depending on the interest, outsourced or mobile immunization stations may be organized.
According to Kunchev, for now there is no need to recommend mass immunization. He advised pregnant women to consult an obstetrician-gynecologist and a personal physician and decide whether to get vaccinated.
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