Vaccines missing as whooping cough cases on the rise

Whooping cough, a highly infectious bacterial disease, is on the rise in Slovakia.

In the first two months of this year, epidemiologists recorded 123 cases. It’s more than for an entire year in the past years.

However, vaccines against whooping cough are lacking in Slovakia, especially those used for revaccination. Vaccines for 13-year-old children and adults are out of stock, and it’s not clear when they will arrive, the Sme daily writes.

Vaccination against whooping cough is mandatory.

Vaccine shortages

Newborns under six months of age are most at risk from whooping cough. They are vaccinated against the disease for the first time in the third month, then in the sixth and twelfth months.

The first revaccination follows when a child turns six. The country has enough vaccines for this group but it then gets worse due to vaccine shortages.

Thirteen-year-olds and adults should be vaccinated every 10 years.

According to the Health Ministry’s chief expert in pediatrics, Elena Prokopová, 13-year-old children are vaccinated with the Boostrix polio vaccine.

“This vaccine is frequently out of stock, even at the moment,” the expert said.

The vaccine is also used when revaccinating adults.

Ministry contradicts experts

“The company GlaxoSmithKline, which produces the vaccine, has huge orders from other countries,” said Prokopová. “Slovakia is a rather small market for it, and that’s why deliveries are limited. We’re often at the end of the line.”

The vaccine’s estimated to arrive in September.

However, the Health Ministry claims that there are several combined vaccines against whooping cough for different age groups, which is why it doesn’t plan to buy, for example, the Avaxim vaccine. Recently, Czechia has bought 20,000 doses of the Avaxim vaccine.

Vaccination shortages have been noticeable for several years.