Flu is already circulating in Bulgaria, with two cases confirmed so far. The real number of infected people is probably higher, as the confirmed patients are among the hospitalized, said the director of the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Prof. Iva Hristova to Euronews Bulgaria.
“Every year, the first cases of flu are caught in October, but there is no direct connection between its early appearance and this affecting a large number of patients“, said Hristova. She specified that the levels of acute respiratory diseases in the country are slowly rising, but are still low.
Early onset does not mean a difficult season
The first cases of influenza were registered as early as the end of September, Prof. Hristova reported in an interview with Radio FOCUS. According to her, the early start of the season does not necessarily mean that there will be more cases, nor that the infection will be more severe.
This is an important distinction, since the presence of the virus in the country does not in itself indicate the scale of its spread in the coming months. Currently, there are two confirmed cases, and the overall level of respiratory diseases remains low.
Vaccines expected about a month late
Deliveries of injectable influenza vaccines are delayed by about a month. According to data cited by Prof. Hristova, the two main importers have reported technical problems that affect all European countries.
“I assume that the vaccines will arrive by mid-November, which is absolutely enough to be administered by the beginning of December“, she said. Prof. Hristova pointed out that interest among the elderly is high, and immunization in November will still be timely for the main part of the flu season.
Nasal vaccines are already available at GPs. Hristova pointed out that the most at-risk groups are young children under 5 years of age and the elderly.
Sources: euronews.bg, focus-news.net