From the end of September to the middle of October is the most suitable period for vaccination against influenza before winter. This was commented in the studio of "The day begins on Sunday" the state chief health inspector Assoc. Angel Kunchev. According to him, this year's vaccines are being prepared like any other, based on what happened in the southern hemisphere, where winter ends.
"I don't expect any surprises this winter, a normal flu epidemic. Nothing special has happened until this moment," Kunchev explained.
He also commented on the ongoing cases of COVID-19.
"Covid has become a normal virus that circulates. Not full hospitals, not mass deaths of people. Vaccines are recommended for people for whom they have more serious risks - these are adults, young children and people with chronic diseases. For the rest, the Covid vaccine is not mandatory," Kunchev also said
In his words, for the moment there is no threat of a pandemic from the recently acquired "West Nile fever". The reason for this is that the disease is not transmitted from person to person, but through animals and mosquito bites. It is expected that with the cooling of the weather, the cases of West Nile fever will decrease.
The health inspector also commented on the level of mandatory immunization in the country.
"In order to achieve a good immunity of a given society against a disease for which there is a vaccine, it is necessary to have the immunization of over 95% of the population. Everything else is a compromise. In Bulgaria, the level of compulsory immunization is relatively good. In Romania, you saw what happened with the measles pandemic, in which about 20 thousand children were infected and 20 died. Such a situation should not be allowed, said Kunchev.