site.btaNearly 800 Pertussis Cases Reported as of May 7, 2024

There have been 797 cases of pertussis (whooping cough) reported in Bulgaria since the beginning of 2024, according to the National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases. In the week of April 29 - May 5, 189 new cases of pertussis were recorded. In the period of January 1 - May 5, 2023, four cases of pertussis were recorded.

In order to protect newborns who have not reached the age of vaccination, currently set at two months, expert panels recommended to lower the age of first immunization. The caretaker Health Minister Galya Kondeva is expected to issue an order allowing pertussis vaccinations to be carried out at a lower age.

Pertussis is a contagious disease whose onset can be prevented by a vaccine. While there are also cases of vaccinated people who have contracted the disease, the course of the disease is not as severe.

In early April, two infants infected with pertussis died. Neither child had been vaccinated, as they were under the minimum vaccination age.