Armenia's Ministry of Health warned about increasing cases of pertussis (whooping cough).
The ministry's press service said periodic activation is caused by delayed vaccination of some segments of the population, by the persons who have undergone partial vaccination, as well as because of active population movement.
In January-July, 2018, compared to the same period in 2017, the number of pertussis cases increased 3-fold to 118 cases, 81% of those who fell ill, were people who were not vaccinated or who did not have complete vaccination.
"The Ministry of Health once again stresses that vaccination is the only safe and effective way of preventing whooping cough, and only timely and properly vaccination can stop the spread of the disease and the associated complications," ARKA cited the statement as saying.
This year 65 of the reported cases were diagnosed with children under the age of one. In 2018, a two-month-old baby was reported to die of the whooping cough.
Pertussis is an acute infectious disease accompanied by fever, inflammatory conditions in the upper respiratory tract and paroxysmal spasmodic cough. Pertussis is characterized by such complications as pneumonia, bronchitis, encephalitis, which can cause disability of the child.
The disease is characterized by a cyclic recurrence every 3-4 years. The last time it was reported in 2013 and 2014.
