site.btaUPDATED Bulgaria Has Higher Vaccination Coverage Compared with Europe

The vaccination coverage in Bulgaria is higher than the European average, said Prof. Iva Hristova, Director of the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, during a School of Vaccines. The school is organized by the Astra Forum Foundation in cooperation with the office of the World Health Organization in Bulgaria and in partnership with the online platform "Patient Portal". The initiative marks the European Immunization Week (24-30 April) and the 50th anniversary of the WHO's Expanded Immunization Programme.

The vaccination coverage in Bulgaria is very high, much better than in neighboring countries, she added. According to her, after the introduction of vaccination against measles and rubella, there has been a drastic drop in cases. Over the years, immunization coverage is over 90%, and it is higher at the first dose of immunization, she added.

It is important to communicate wisely with society – calmly and with evidence, so that people do not feel pressured, and we can step by step dispel their doubts, said Prof. Hristova. “The new challenges of vaccine prophylaxis are the crisis situations in which we live – economic, social, political, climate, etc., which make possible the development of new epidemics,” added Prof. Hristova.

The new tasks are strengthening surveillance, improving vaccine coverage and improving communication with the population, strengthening control over the vaccination process using the information environment and new technologies, added Hristova.

“People couldn't understand how COVID vaccines were made, and that was because we couldn't explain it to them, said Prof. Mira Kozhuharova. In the vast majority of cases, deficiencies should be sought in medical and general education, she said, commenting on medics who are against vaccines. Prof. Hristova and prof. Kozhuharova rallied around the idea of the need for a change in the training programs of medical students, as the topic of vaccines is not covered enough.

Within a month the number of pertussis patients will be at least a thousand, said Prof. Hristova. Children under one year of age who have fallen ill with pertussis number 38, said Dr. Kremena Parmakova, head of the Communicable Disease Surveillance Department at the Ministry of Health. 

Epidemic outbreaks of pertussis have been recorded all over the world, with more than 5-6,000 cases in many European countries, and the outbreak started last year, Dr. Parmakova recalled. Mostly children aged 10-19 are ill, and some of them are vaccinated. Whooping cough is a disease that is particularly dangerous for babies who are of pre-immunization age, and measures should be linked to protecting very young children. Children allergic to eggs can be vaccinated against pertussis, the doctor pointed out.

In Bulgaria, cases among adults are currently sporadic, so there is currently no campaign to immunize them, Dr Parmakova added. 

Already 80-90 new cases are registered per week. Hristova advised parents of newborn children not to expose them to too many people, and those close to the baby to get vaccinated and wear protective masks.