site.btaFive Measles Cases Reported in Bulgaria as More People Skip Vaccination

Sofia, February 14 (BTA) - Five cases of measles have been diagnosed in the recent days in Bulgaria as a growing number of people skip vaccination. This transpired Thursday in an interview with Prof. Todor Kantardjiev, Director of the National Centre of Communicable and Parasitic Diseases, on Nova TV. The first patient was a 37-year-old woman and the other are children aged 1-3.

Two infants aged 3 and 4 months have the virus but they have a chance to not develop the disease as they have antibodies from their mothers.

Prof. Kantardjiev warned that measles is most dangerous for infants who have not yet had their first measles vaccine at age 13 months.

He urged general practitioners to make an effort to raise parents' awareness of the risks of measles.

He also said that health mediators have a very important role to play educating Roma people about the importance of vaccination.

The rate of vaccination are traditionally low among the Roma in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria has 150 health mediators, who have received special training and liaise between the health authorities and Roma communities on health-related matters.

Medical statistics shows that much below the required 95 per cent of infants in Bulgaria have had the mandatory measles vaccine, the former national epidemiology consultant, Mira Kozhouharova, told bTV. This is a cause of serious concern because we are dealing with a highly contagious disease, she said.

The same statistics applies to the second measles vaccine at age 12. LN/