Cases of whooping cough are still increasing, but…Vaccine is unavailable!

Since the beginning of the year, 2,273 cases of whooping cough have been registered. “Young children without vaccinations or with incomplete vaccinations are especially at risk. The vaccine is among the mandatory ones, and we should also revaccinate as adults,” recommended by the deputy head of the Department of Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases of the SZÚ MUDr. Kateřina Fabiánová.

But if you follow this recommendation and want to order vaccinations online directly from the distributor, you are out of luck. The inscription »Ordering is currently not possible due to vaccine unavailability« will appear. And this despite the Ministry of Health issuing a statement that 70,000 vaccines are available as of Thursday, March 7.

The day before this ministerial press release, supplier and distributor Avenier told Bleska: “Currently, the vaccine is not available, so it is not possible to order it in surgeries. All available stock was distributed during February. Currently, in general practitioners’ offices, as well as in vaccination centers, the last stocks from previous orders remain.

The pertussis vaccine is unavailable.

Author: Jakub Poláček

The situation with practitioners

According to general practitioner Igor Karen, the situation is catastrophic: “For the past two months, two to three patients have been calling every day for vaccinations. That’s about 80 people a month. It wasn’t until today (3/8) that the distributor told me that I could order a pair of four-component Adacel Polio vaccines.”

These are used to vaccinate ten-year-old children and can also be used for adults who are interested in vaccination. This vaccine costs CZK 890 and is four-component because it protects against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough as well as against contagious polio. It is unclear when the two trivalent vaccines will be available. Nevertheless, the ministry claims that there are enough vaccines and another 60,000 doses are expected to be delivered during the spring.

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Pulmonologist: Vaccinate children

Lightning asked doc. MD Milana Sova, Head of the Pulmonary Department of the FN Brno Bohunice: Mr. Professor, there are no vaccines except the “children’s” one. What would you advise those interested in vaccination?

“In any case, vaccinate children. I would like to reassure the adult population. The fact that there is more whooping cough is a fact, but one cannot speak of an epidemic at all. Whooping cough is easily treatable with antibiotics, it is dangerous for children, but they are subject to compulsory vaccination. It also threatens the elderly who have many diseases. But such a patient will die of a disease other than whooping cough.’