Croatia is shaking from a whooping cough epidemic: EADaily

There is an epidemic of whooping cough in Croatia. Although mandatory vaccination is carried out against this disease, due to the low level of the procedure, the proportion of infected people is growing, said Bernard Kajic, a representative of the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

Speaking on Croatian public television, Kajic stated that the number of patients was growing overnight, reaching 1,435 on December 1. Among them are 45 children under the age of one year. Most of the cases are at school age. The doctor said it was concerning that the high number of cases could increase the chances of newborns or unvaccinated infants becoming infected.

“The disease can be serious and even fatal for them,” – he said, adding that most patients are children aged 10 to 14 years.

Most cases were reported in Zagreb and Split. The Croatian capital has also set up mobile testing units to identify infected people. Bernard Kajic added that Croatia has not seen such a number of people infected with whooping cough for more than forty years – since 1980.

In turn, a virologist, former director of the infectious diseases clinic in Split Ivo Ivic said the spread of the disease was expected as the country’s vaccination rate was 85% and at least a 96% rate could prevent a massive wave of infections. He emphasized that the coronavirus pandemic also contributed to the spread of the disease. According to him, the number of cases of refusal to vaccinate has also increased.

According to Croatian law, parents can be fined 300 euros for failing to vaccinate their children, but the fine can only be collected after public health inspectors are informed and an investigation into the violation has been initiated. According to health experts, whooping cough is a bacterial disease that is spread through the air and is accompanied by an uncontrollable, severe cough. In Croatia, children are given their first vaccination at two months of age as part of a combination vaccination, and a repeat series of vaccinations provides protection until adolescence.

The Croatian Institute of Public Health recommends that expectant mothers should be vaccinated in any case. If a child is under one year old and has not yet received all three vaccines, parents are also advised to get the whooping cough vaccine to reduce the risk of the child becoming infected.