Bulgaria: measles cases

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Source: http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n209082

99% of people sick with measles are Roma: doctor
4 February 2010 | 15:27 | FOCUS News Agency
Sofia. The risky group for measles is those who are not immunized. At the moment the outbreak spreads quite ethnically, because 99% of the sick people are Roma from the big neighborhoods in the cities and villages, Dr. Angel Kunchev, director of Infectious Diseases Control Directorate at the Healthcare Ministry, says in an interview with FOCUS News Agency.
He says the remaining 1% are medical workers ? doctors, nurses, lab assistants in the cities of Sliven, Yambol, Burgas, Dobrich.
?That?s why we recommend and immunize all workers in the infectious wards and emergency centers. The task has been completed. The main reason for people not to be immunized is parents? unserious attitude to their children?s health. The parents do not listen to the general practitioners? instructions and do not immunize their children. In addition, the records say some of the people were immunized, but they actually were not,? says Dr. Kunchev.
The preventive measure is one and it is called immunization. Everyone who is immunized with two doses, as the immunization calendar envisages ? at the age of 13 months and 12 years ? can be 100% sure they are protected, he adds.
Adelina GEORGIEVA

 

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Re: Bulgaria: measles cases

Source: http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n209099

Some 100 people fall ill with measles a day: doctor
4 February 2010 | 19:34 | FOCUS News Agency
Sofia. Many people are sick with measles. We register some 100 people a day. For now the focus is on several regions ? Sliven, Yambol, Varna, Stara Zagora and Kazanlak ? but gradually we will reach other regions too, Dr. Angel Kunchev, Director of Infectious Diseases Control Directorate at the Healthcare Ministry, says in an interview with FOCUS News Agency.
He says 10 people died since the start of the outbreak.
?Measles is a serious disease, but it results in a death in very small number of cases. Most of these children are in a very bad social condition. Two of the three children who died recently were living in a village close to the city of Sliven and did not see a doctor. They died at home. One of them was ill with children?s cerebral paralysis and other complicating diseases,? said Kunchev.
Adelina GEORGIEVA

 

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Re: Bulgaria: measles cases

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i4D3gNi4hp7b579DsyEN-jvNzjog

Turkey tightens borders against Bulgarian measles: ministry

(AFP) ? 10 hours ago

SOFIA ? Bulgaria's foreign ministry warned Tuesday that authorities in Turkey had tightened border controls for fear of a spread of measles from its northern neighbour.

"Travellers with measles symptoms, such as fever, rash and coughing will be provisionally banned access into Turkey and should refrain from travelling," the Bulgarian ministry said in a statement...

...A measles epidemic broke out among Bulgaria's Roma population in April 2009 but only gained strength in recent months. So far, it has affected 18,000 people, including 20 who died of the disease, epidemic consultant Mira Kozhuharova told AFP...

 

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Re: Bulgaria: measles cases

Measles outbreak in Bulgaria: update as of week 26, 2010

In week 26 of 2010, there were 218 measles cases reported to the National Centre of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases in Sofia.

Since the beginning of the year up to the end of week 26 the total number of measles cases reported in Bulgaria reached 21,180. For the same period last year 8 measles cases had been reported (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Reported measles cases in Bulgaria by week of notification.
See: http://www.ssi.dk/graphics/euvac/outbreak/bulgaria26.html

Since the beginning of the measles epidemic in April 2009 up to the end of week 26 of 2010, a total of 23,429 cases, including 24 deaths were reported.

The data for 2010 presented in this short communication are provisional.

Reported by: Daniela Aleksieva, Department of Epidemiology ? National Centre of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Sofia.

Source: www.ncipd.org (in Bulgarian).