Skopje, 5 March 2024 (MIA) – Vaccines against whooping cough (pertussis) for adults are expected to arrive on March 15; the Commission recommends that testing for the disease be made available nationwide, said the spokesperson of the Commission for Infectious Diseases, Zlate Mehmedovikj, after the Commission convened on Tuesday.

Mehmedovikj said that there are 123 confirmed cases of whooping cough in the country, of which 119 are in Skopje, with sporadic cases in other places such as Debar, Tetovo and Strumica.

He said the vaccination sites in Skopje, where an epidemic has been declared, are working in two shifts and vaccination is proceeding smoothly with a total of 22.395 vaccines administered so far.

“The Commission adopted recommendations for the vaccination of adults. The information that we received from the Committee on Immunization is that the first vaccines intended for adults are expected to arrive on March 15,” stressed Mehmedovikj, adding that more details will be shared once the vaccines arrive.

“In terms of who should be vaccinated, we’re prioritizing adults living with children that are especially prone to getting sick and experiencing a more severe disease, i.e., children younger than two. Of course, also employees that are directly working with and are in touch with children at this age, as well as pregnant women in the third trimester of their pregnancy,” said the Commission’s spokesperson in answer to a journalist’s question.

The Commission also recommended that the State Sanitary and Health Inspectorate ramp up its inspections in order to determine the real situation in kindergartens regarding the vaccination status of the children; for testing to be made available nationwide by the public health centers; and for a digital record to be kept of the vaccination status of children at the vaccination booths.

“What I proposed and what the Commission concluded is that inspections have to be increased in order to create the perception on the ground as well that more intensive work is being done to detect all cases of unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children that are attending kindergarten,” said Mehmedovikj.

The Commission renewed its call for all children to receive any vaccines they might have missed.

Photo: MIA