Croatian authorities are sounding the alarm: 700 cases of whooping cough have been recorded in Croatia since September. There are a large number of cases, especially around Zagreb and the resort town of Split.
Croatian health authorities are sounding the alarm about a massive increase in whooping cough cases: instead of the usual 50 cases per year I’ve been this year more than 1,100 cases the highly contagious respiratory disease has been recorded 700 just since September, the state public health institute said Wednesday. It’s that highest number in ten years.
Zagreb and Split access points
According to the institute, most cases of the disease, especially dangerous for babies and the elderly, occurred in the capital Zagreb and the coastal city of Split, popular with tourists. Children between the ages of six and 14 are particularly affected.
In Croatia there is one for children Mandatory pertussis vaccination. Although 92 percent of babies received their first dose last year, only 88 percent received booster vaccines recommended for seven-year-olds; in some regions, just 68 percent.
Experts have blamed the growing number of anti-vaccination activists for this. The head of the Split institute, Zeljka Karin, explained that the many myths about the negative effects of vaccines circulating on the Internet were to blame. “Online networks are spreading panic,” she explained. According to her, the trend continued to increase after the corona pandemic.