Whooping cough

As Bulgaria grapples with a surge in whooping cough cases, Public Health experts offer insights into the situation, assuring the public about the severity of symptoms and emphasizing the importance of vaccination.

In response to a surge in whooping cough infections across the country, the Ministry of Health has announced a significant adjustment to the immunization schedule, permitting the administration of the first whooping cough vaccine to infants at just a month and a half old, rather than waiting until the traditional second month mark as stipulated in the Immunization Calendar.

In response to the alarming surge of whooping cough cases, the Health Commission has convened an extraordinary meeting to address the escalating situation. This decision comes following the tragic demise of two infants due to the disease in Kyustendil, prompting urgent action from health authorities.

Professor Iva Hristova, Director of the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCCPD), has sounded the alarm on the stealthy danger posed by whooping cough, with mortality rates soaring to a chilling 2-4%. Speaking on bTV, Prof. Hristova underscored the gravity of the situation, shedding light on the often overlooked morbidity lurking beneath the surface.

In response to the recent deaths of two newborns due to whooping cough, the Ministry of Health in Bulgaria has implemented measures to curb the spread of the disease. Dr. Galya Kondeva, the Minister of Health, revealed at an extraordinary briefing that the ministry has initiated steps to limit the outbreak's impact.

Two infants from Kyustendil have tragically lost their lives after contracting whooping cough, confirmed by Chief State Health Inspector Assoc. Angel Kunchev and the Ministry of Health to BNR.

An increase in whooping cough cases has been recorded in recent months in several European countries, including Greece, where two deaths have already been recorded this year.

According to data from the National Public Health Organization (EODY), 54 cases have been recorded in Greece this year, including among 32 children and adolescents, 11 of whom are infants under the age of one.

Vaccine skepticism is expected to have an adverse impact on the country's overall inoculation program and public health, warned Sotiris Tsiodras, the head of the Hellenic Society for Infectious Diseases. 

Dr. Vladislav Vukomanovi, cardiologist and manager of the pediatric clinic at the Institute for Mother and Child Health Care of Serbia "Dr. Vukan upi", stated for RTS this morning that four babies died of whooping cough in Belgrade, while the number of children with a severe clinical picture is increasing.

However, according to "Blic", a wave of increase in patients who have a fever, cough, sneeze, feel a pain in the throat, are weak and have flu-like or covid-like symptoms is expected in the coming days. The main impact of tridemia is yet to be expected, and pediatricians are already working at full steam.