”Analyzing the percentages of pre-vaccination with the MRP vaccine, it can be seen that there has been an increase in the scope of vaccination of children in the area of the Zenica-Doboj Canton (ZDC),” said the responsible cantonal minister of health, Aida Salcinovic.
On July 19th of this year, ZDC officially declared a measles epidemic in that canton, in which a total of 1,440 infected persons were recorded since the beginning of the year, of which 112 were hospitalized. One person died, and one deceased was from the category “lost from surveillance in the area of ZDC“.
Most of the infected are children under the age of six, of whom 894 or 62.1 percent were recorded, followed by children aged 7 to 17, of whom 393 or 27.3 percent. There are 47 or 3.3 percent of young people from 15 to 24 years of age, and 96 or 6.7 percent of people from 25 to 49 years of age. When it comes to those over 50 and up to 64 years of age, only 10 people or 0.7 percent were recorded, which is within the realm of statistical error.
”The age of those infected suggests that the insufficient vaccination of children is the biggest cause of the appearance of infection in an epidemic form. Namely, 1,340 infected were not vaccinated, 81 were completely unvaccinated, and only 19 infected were fully vaccinated,” Minister Salcinovic states.
The most infected people are in Zenica – 653 or 45.3 percent, then in Kakanj 471 or 32.7 percent, in Visoko 209 or 14.5 percent and Zavidovici 74 or 5.1 percent.
In other areas, the number of infected people is significantly lower, and only more than 10 infected people were recorded in Olovo – 12. The highest number of infected people was recorded in June – 560, last month 406, and in the first days of August 28people.
”It is good that the number of infected people is lower than in the previous period, but also that the number of vaccinated people is higher. The number of infected in July shows stagnation in growth, but it is still a large number. Vaccination coverage is still low, but it is now 47 percent, not just 37 percent anymore. Unfortunately, vaccination is still insufficient, but it is still better than it was,” says Salcinovic.
A total of 3,868 children have been vaccinated since the beginning of this year, of which 163 were vaccinated in the period from July 29th to August 2nd, while 96 children were vaccinated from August 5th to 7th. A total of 4,127 people have been vaccinated against measles since the beginning of the year.
Since the beginning of the year, 192 cases of whooping cough (pertussis) have been recorded in the area of that canton, of which 177 are children under the age of six or 92.2 percent.
There are 172 unvaccinated, 13 incompletely vaccinated, and seven vaccinated. One person also died of whooping cough at the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo, Federalna writes.
E.Dz.
