Whooping cough outbreak in Europe: Infants dead, vaccination urged

Over 250 cases of whooping cough have been reported in Bulgaria in the past week, including the deaths of two infants. Health Minister Galia Kondeva has expressed concern over the rising number of infections nationwide.

Tragically, two infants have succumbed to the whooping cough infection. These children were under three months old and had not been vaccinated. The National Centre for Infectious Diseases highlighted that, in just the last seven days, 54 new cases of whooping cough have been identified among children, primarily those aged 8-10.

Chief Sanitary Inspector Angel Kunchev has sounded the alarm over a potential epidemic, pointing out that the regularity of vaccinations against the disease has recently faltered. The hesitation of many parents to vaccinate their children, despite medical assurance of the vaccines' effectiveness, is a growing concern.

Consequently, the Ministry of Health is ensuring protection against this preventable disease. It has mandated family doctors to update vaccination schedules and contact the parents of unvaccinated children.