Klekovski urges parents to vaccinate children as MMR coverage stands at 62%
Klekovski warned of rising measles cases in Kosovo and Bulgaria and called on parents to raise vaccination uptake.
Minister of Health Sasho Klekovski appealed on Tuesday for parents to vaccinate their children against measles, warning that national immunisation coverage is currently low at 62 percent.
Regional rise in cases prompts renewed appeal
"I say this because the number of measles cases in Kosovo and Bulgaria is currently increasing. Therefore I appeal to parents to vaccinate their children," Klekovski said at today’s press conference.
Klekovski stressed that the low uptake concerns the first dose of vaccines from the regular immunisation schedule. According to data from the Institute for Public Health (IJZ), none of the routine vaccines has reached the desired 95% coverage for the first dose.
The IJZ figures cited by the minister show coverage levels as follows: hepatitis B 77%, Haemophilus influenzae type b 78%, diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis (DTP) 79%, and polio 79%. The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine has the lowest reported coverage at 62%, while HPV stands at 51%.
Newer additions to the national schedule have mixed results: rotavirus at 64% and pneumococcal vaccine at 80%. Klekovski reiterated that higher immunisation rates are crucial to prevent outbreaks.
Photo: СДК.МК)
