Whooping cough

The President of Athens and Piraeus Hospital Doctors’ Association (EINAP) Matina Pagoni, stressed that “compared to 2023 when there were about 186 cases this month, we currently have about 478 cases in terms of covid

Amid an alarming outbreak of whooping cough, the Health Ministry is urging all pregnant women to get vaccinated against the disease.

Since the beginning of the year until mid-June, 264 cases of whooping cough were recorded in Greece, compared to just nine reported throughout 2023.

Of the 264 cases, 34 were reported in the first 13 days of June.

Greece is experiencing a pertussis (whooping cough) outbreak, likely linked to the delayed immunization of certain age groups

The National Public Health Organization (EODY) announced on Thursday a surge in whooping cough cases, including two deaths, and called for timely vaccinations against the disease. 

In response to the threat of a whooping cough epidemic, Bulgaria has enacted temporary anti-epidemic measures aimed at curbing the spread of the disease. The measures, which came into effect today and will remain in place until the end of July, include free PCR testing for diagnosis in key cities such as Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Pleven, and Stara Zagora.

Bulgaria has updated its immunization calendar, granting general practitioners the authority to administer whooping cough (pertussis) vaccines to newborns two weeks earlier than before, starting at six weeks after birth. This significant change was officially announced in today's edition of the State Gazette, marking a pivotal step in safeguarding infants against whooping cough.

In a recent poll conducted on our Facebook page, we asked our readers a critical question: "Should parents vaccinate their children?" Out of the participants, a resounding 87.5% voted in favor of vaccination, while 12.5% opposed it.

The Ministry of Health in Bulgaria has announced a significant initiative to provide free whooping cough vaccines to all pregnant women between 27 to 36 weeks of gestation. Dr. Galya Kondeva, the Minister of Health, revealed this decision during a briefing held at the Council of Ministers.

In a recent announcement that's bound to catch attention, Bulgaria's Chief State Health Inspector, Assoc. Angel Kunchev, declared that the country will not be declaring an emergency epidemic situation due to the spread of whooping cough. Despite the registration of 500 cases across the nation, Kunchev reassured the public that extraordinary measures are deemed unnecessary at this juncture.

In a recent interview with BTA, Associate Professor Angel Kunchev, the chief state health inspector, addressed the potential declaration of an epidemic of whooping cough and outlined the measures that would be taken in response.