North Macedonia closed the doors of kindergartens on March 11 for all children who have not received the three doses of the DTP vaccine against pertussis.
The State Sanitary Health Inspectorate has started implementing the Ministry of Health’s decision to conduct extraordinary inspections and prohibit the admission of non-immunized children to pre-school institutions who have not received the necessary doses of the DTP vaccine against pertussis.
“Extraordinary inspections started today (Monday) in pre-school institutions to prohibit the admission of non-immunized children,” said the announcement from the State Sanitary Health Inspectorate.
The Ministry’s decision followed a call from the Infectious Diseases Commission to take serious measures to keep the situation under control or prevent the spread of infection.
According to data from the Public Health Institute, as of March 6, 141 cases of pertussis have been identified in Skopje alone, some of whom are in serious health condition due to breathing problems.
“The goal of the Infectious Diseases Commission’s initiative is to protect the most vulnerable category of citizens, in this case, children under the age of two. Vaccination is necessary as the only measure to protect children’s health,” said Fadil Cana, director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Skopje.
Although the Ministry of Health has declared an epidemic of pertussis in the territory of Skopje, checks can be carried out throughout North Macedonia, even without declaring an epidemic, to prevent the spread of this contagious disease.
“We still cannot say that the disease is spreading at the state level, and that is a good thing. However, this does not mean that measures should not be taken; on the contrary, everyone should be diligent in taking all measures to prevent the spread of the virus,” said Zlaten Memedovic, from the Infectious Diseases Commission.
The Commission states that children with other infectious diseases should not be admitted to kindergartens, and the Public Health Center should be notified of any increase in the number of absent children.
The first dose of the DTP vaccine is given to children at the age of 2 months, the second dose at 4 months, and the third dose at 6 months.
The first revaccination is performed one year after the completion of the initial vaccination, at the age of 18 months. The second revaccination is done in the second grade or at the age of 7.
According to February data, about 83 percent of the population has been vaccinated nationwide, with a tendency to decrease, which has also alerted health institutions about the possibility of other infectious diseases emerging.
The Public Health Institute states that to achieve collective immunity, over 95 percent of the population must be vaccinated with all types of vaccines.
