site.btaHealth Ministry Aims to Include New Vaccine against Chickenpox in 2026 Immunization Schedule

In a televised interview on Nova TV Sunday, Health Minister Silvi Kirilov said his team's ambition is for a new chickenpox vaccine to be included in the 2026 immunization schedule and to be implemented in practice. There is a proposal to make this vaccine mandatory, which I have approved, and the procedure for changes in the regulatory framework is now underway. 

"Our ambition is for this vaccine to be mandatory in 2026, but in addition to amending the regulatory framework, these vaccines must also be purchased," he stressed. "Vaccines have a positive effect on public health, and for me, this is a serious step towards the prevention of this disease," commented Minister Kirilov.

The first dose of the vaccine is administered in the first three years of a child, and there is a booster shot at age four, he specified.

He also commented on the fact that from September 1, 2025, health professionals in kindergartens and schools have access to the system where all health records are stored, meaning that personal health cards are now electronic and no longer have to be carried by parents to school. This makes things easier for over 2 million Bulgarian citizens, all children under 18 and their parents, as well as general practitioners. The data is protected, healthcare professionals do not have access to the entire file, but only to the data they need, the Minister explained. Six training courses were held for healthcare professionals, and separate instructions for use were sent and uploaded, with all professionals having access to them. The administrative burden is being reduced, and there will be some contradictions and omissions at the beginning, but this is the future, Kirilov noted.