By order of the Director of the RHI - Vidin, temporary anti-epidemic measures are being introduced in Vidin district from January 20 to 26, 2025. This is the second district in the country where restrictions are being introduced. The first region to declare a flu epidemic is Haskovo.
The epidemic situation in Vidin district was discussed at a meeting of the Regional Operational Headquarters for Combating Influenza and Acute Respiratory Diseases (ARI) chaired by the Regional Governor Ani Harutyunyan, the Municipality announced.
The Director of the Directorate “Surveillance of Infectious Diseases“ in the RHI – Vidin Dr. Pepa Tsvetanova reported an increasing incidence over the last two weeks, noting that as of January 16 it was 254 per 10,000 population, which is a prerequisite for introducing anti-epidemic measures. The most affected are people in the age group between 30 and 64 years in Vidin municipality. There is no increase in people over 65 years of age and children up to 4 years of age. In the other municipalities of the region, the epidemic situation is calm.
The Executive Director of the “St. Petka” Hospital, Dr. Iveta Naydenova, informed that in the last 10 days the hospital has reported an increase in the number of hospitalized patients in some of the departments, where there is already a need for additional hospital beds. About 900 people have passed through the Emergency Room in Vidin since the beginning of the year. An increase in home visits by the doctors of the Center for Emergency Medical Care is also reported, informed the director of the Center for Emergency Medical Care Dr. Stanislav Polomski.
The head of the Regional Educational Service - Vidin Veselka Asenova noted that according to information received and summarized from schools as of January 16, 2025, for the territory of Vidin district, absent students are 16.4%, and for Vidin municipality - 17.7%.
Following the information reported at the meeting of the Regional Operational Headquarters for Combating Influenza and Acute Respiratory Diseases and coordinated actions taken by the Regional Health Inspectorate - Vidin with the Ministry of Health, the director of the Vidin Health Inspectorate Dr. Ventsislav Vladinski issued an order to introduce temporary anti-epidemic measures on the territory of Vidin municipality.
From January 20 to 26, 2025 including scheduled consultations of healthy pregnant women and children; preventive examinations and mandatory immunizations and re-immunizations; visits to medical institutions for hospital care and specialized institutions for the provision of social services and those for residential social services for children and adults are suspended. In nurseries, kindergartens and schools, a strict morning filter is introduced for both children and staff in order to prevent the admission of sick persons with clinical symptoms of influenza and ARI (the full text of the order is available on the website of the Regional Health Institute-Vidin).
At the end of the meeting of the Regional Operational Headquarters for Combating Influenza and ARI, the regional governor Ani Harutyunyan appealed for strict compliance and control of the measures introduced in order to limit the spread of respiratory diseases. The epidemic situation is dynamic and continues to be monitored daily, and additional measures will be taken if necessary, the regional governor specified.