Measles cases in Bulgaria reached 182, and in parallel with this, a case of typhoid fever has been registered in the country, bTV reports, citing data from epidemiologist Prof. Todor Kantardzhiev in the program "This Sunday". The specialist outlined the current health picture in our country, warning about the hidden risks of several dangerous infections during the spring season.
According to the expert's data, the head of the Department of Microbiology at "Medical University – Varna" Prof. Temenuga Stoeva has proven the presence of typhoid fever in a patient. It is about a woman who returned from an exotic excursion to a developed country in Southeast Asia.
"A very dangerous disease, much more dangerous than cholera", Prof. Kantardzhiev is categorical.
He explained that the infection most likely occurred after consuming untested food from a local market or contaminated water. Although the patient has gone through a serious condition, the prognosis is for her full recovery.
The epidemiologist expressed serious concern about the spread of measles in our country, emphasizing that new cases are appearing in increasingly remote cities, affecting mainly unvaccinated citizens. The successful scenario for the health authorities is to limit the spread to a few hundred people, thanks to the over 23 thousand immunizations carried out in recent months.
The professor paid special attention to the long incubation period of 21 days and the insidious onset of the disease.
"Four days before you get sick, you start coughing, you start wheezing, you go to doctors, you go on public transport, you go to pharmacies, four days before that you start infecting", warned Prof. Kantardzhiev.
He recalled that the initial symptoms include high fever, red eyes, runny nose and sore throat, with the characteristic rash appearing only at a later stage. The expert urged contact persons without immunity to get vaccinated within the first 72 hours.
With the warming of the weather, the danger of specific zoonoses also increases. Prof. Kantardzhiev warned farmers and consumers about the risks of anthrax, which is transmitted through poorly thermally processed dairy products or by inhaling infected dust from hay and straw in barns. The disease can lead to severe pneumonia and edema of the heart and lungs.
The specialist also recalled the deadly danger of consuming meat from animals infected with anthrax. He rewinded the tape to 2014, when the rapid response of health authorities and the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency prevented a large-scale crisis on the native Black Sea coast by destroying contaminated meat.
"Despite antibiotic treatment, if you have consumed such meat and become ill, 30% die," recalled the harsh statistics, Prof. Kantardzhiev.