Dimitar Draganov Health authorities provide free immunization for pregnant women against whooping cough

Health authorities provide for free immunizing pregnant women against whooping cough. This was announced by the Minister of Health, Dr. Galya Kondeva, at a briefing in the Council of Ministers. She specified that the Ministry of Health will provide free vaccines against whooping cough to all pregnant from 27 to 36 weeks of gestation.

“The registered cases of whooping cough in the country are over 500, compared to 4 in the same period last year. This clearly shows the tendency for an epidemic spread of a disease. Over 90% of cases are children. The risk group of complications and hospitalization are children under 1 year. 84% of them are not immunized due to underage or other reasons,”

Kondeva pointed out.

And he announced that he would take two steps. The first is an update to the immunization calendar: the basic scheduled immunization is allowed against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, poliomyelitis and Haemophilus influenzae type B infections to start earlier, from the 6th week.

The second is for the Ministry of Health to provide all pregnant women from 27 to 36 weeks of gestation who wish to be immunized free of charge, regardless of whether they have health insurance or not. Currently, the immunization calendar provides for children to be vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, poliomyelitis, hemophilus influenza type B infections and pneumococcal infections from the second, third and fourth months.

Immunizations will be carried out free of charge at designated immunization points, explained health inspector Assoc. Angel Kunchev.

“We are also working on providing diagnostics. We will add Burgas to the four centers in Varna, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora and Pleven, as there is an opportunity there. In these places, free PCR diagnostics will be done according to the criteria of the first case, severe cases, cases in organized collectives, etc. This will reduce the risk. And in Europe, 80% of the sick are unimmunizedor with missed immunizations or completely unvaccinated,”

Prof. Kunchev stressed.