Health authorities warn of drastic increase in whooping cough cases
The health authorities in Croatia are sounding the alarm over a massive increase in whooping cough cases: instead of the usual 50 cases per year, over 1100 cases of the highly contagious respiratory disease have already been registered this year, 700 of them since September alone, the State Institute of Public Health announced on Wednesday. This is the highest number in ten years.
According to the institute, most cases of the disease, which is particularly dangerous for babies and older people, occurred in the capital Zagreb and the coastal city of Split, which is popular with holidaymakers. Children between the ages of six and 14 are particularly affected.
In Croatia, children are required to be vaccinated against whooping cough. While 92 percent of babies received their first dose last year, only 88 percent received the booster vaccinations recommended for seven-year-olds; in some regions, this figure was as low as 68 percent.
Experts blame the increasing number of anti-vaccination campaigners for this. The many myths about the negative effects of vaccinations circulating on the internet are to blame, explained Zeljka Karin, head of the Split Institute. "The online networks are spreading panic," she explained. According to her, the trend increased further after the coronavirus pandemic.
Source: www.ntv.de
