The government has approved an extra €2,836,200 for the Health Ministry's 2026 budget, to pay for chickenpox vaccines for children and vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for pregnant women, the government press office said.
Of the total, €1,904,800 is for the chickenpox vaccine and €931,400 for the RSV vaccine.
The chickenpox vaccine is mandatory and is part of Bulgaria's immunisation calendar. Children get it at 12 to 15 months. The RSV vaccine is a targeted shot for pregnant women, who have it between the 24th and 36th week of pregnancy.
The National Expert Council on Immunisation proposed both vaccines. Ordinance No. 15 on immunisation in Bulgaria has already been amended, and contracts for the doses needed this year have been signed.
The press office said chickenpox is one of the most contagious diseases. It spreads through the air in droplets and affects both health and society.
RSV can cause anything from mild flu-like symptoms to severe illness and death. Babies under 6 months are at risk, and those under 2 months are the worst affected. The press office said that when a pregnant woman is vaccinated, the baby is protected in the first months after birth.
The money comes from the budget programme "Prevention and Surveillance of Infectious Diseases", which is part of the ministry's policy "in the field of promotion, prevention and control of public health".
The Health Ministry also said the first 150,000 doses of injectable seasonal flu vaccine have arrived in Bulgaria. They are for children and for people aged 65 and over under the national programmes.
The flu vaccines will go out to GPs' surgeries as early as this week.