For the next year, we have planned a larger number of flu vaccines for children, said Assoc. Prof. Yordanka Uzunova, head of the Pediatric Clinic at the University Hospital for Active Treatment "Lozenetz", during the Longevity Forum 2.0, organized by the newspaper „Capital“.
Data on the spread of viral infections in the 2025/2026 season show that more than 1.7 million people were infected with viral infections, of which 780,000 were cases of flu among children. Studies show that pneumonia develops in 14% of children with the flu, and this disease is severe and it is not good for young children to encounter it, she added. Some of the hospitalized children develop neurological complications. According to her, the most common complications from the flu are bacterial infections, neurological complications, myocarditis, etc., including death.
Viruses are the cause of 90% of illnesses among children, but in children under five years of age, the flu can lead to severe bacterial complications, requiring the use of antibiotics. However, due to the excessive use of antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance is reached, the doctor recalled.
Collective immunity in childhood is very important, and that is why we are fighting for the children's flu vaccine to be free, said Assoc. Prof. Uzunova. According to her, in this way, the oldest people will also be protected from possible infection. The benefit of vaccination is fewer visits to the doctor, fewer hospitalizations, fewer emergency cases, the doctor also said. According to her, Bulgaria lags behind in some areas of vaccine prophylaxis compared to other European countries.
Every dose administered against the flu is prevention against antimicrobial resistance, said Assoc. Prof. Hristiana Batselova, an epidemiologist at the Medical University - Plovdiv. The more people are vaccinated, the less the need for antibiotic use. When children are vaccinated, the virus would hardly reach the oldest people, and there will be no need for antibiotic therapy. Children, especially those attending kindergartens and nurseries, most often get sick with the flu, according to data from the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases. The flu virus spreads very easily in these kindergartens and nurseries because of the large number of children in one room and the shared toys. Unvaccinated children get sick twice as often as unvaccinated adults, she also said. Children are super-spreaders of the flu both in childcare facilities and at home because of their very intensive contacts. The flu is an underestimated disease, but it can lead to a fatal outcome, said Assoc. Prof. Batselova. Regarding the vaccines, Assoc. Prof. Batselova pointed out that they do not offer complete protection, but urged people to get vaccinated to build collective immunity, reminding that some cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.
The doctors expressed their concern about the reduced level of measles immunization in the country.