Prof Todor Kantardzhiev: Seasonal Flu in the Country Is Now Circulating at Epidemic Levels

The health situation in the country is now taking on its typical seasonal pattern, Professor Todor Kantardzhiev said in an interview on Bulgarian National Television’s Denyat zapochva (“The Day Begins”) on December 23. He noted that, for the first time in the past week, the number of people falling ill has exceeded figures recorded in the same period last year.

“This is the first week in which we have more cases than in the same week last year. This means that influenza is now spreading at epidemic levels in the country, and this is evident from two factors. First, the number of people falling ill, and second, changes in the structure of the causative microbes,” Professor Kantardzhiev explained.

He stressed that it was a positive development that many people had already been vaccinated.

“The new dominant flu strain is H3N2, sub-variant K, which has seven mutations. This means it is more contagious than other flu strains. Vaccines do not work against it strongly enough, but they do protect against severe illness. That is why the Centre for Disease Control in Stockholm advises anyone who can get vaccinated should do it,” he said.

Professor Kantardzhiev underlined the importance of combining vaccination with other medications, recommending that people consult their GPs and ensure they have antiviral flu medication at home.

“One pack is enough for the whole family. When flu appears, the symptoms are easy to recognise. You call your doctor, who tells you to start taking the prescribed anti-flu medication twice a day. Other family members then take one tablet a day to prevent infection. If these measures are followed, we will see fewer problems,” he said.

In addition to these steps, the professor recommends frequent airing of rooms, regular handwashing, wearing a mask, and staying at home if someone has a fever and cough. Typical symptoms are easy to identify: high temperature, cough, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, sensitivity to light, and pain in the eyeballs.

“This is the characteristic clinical picture. Flu has the shortest incubation period – between 24 and 36 hours after infection symptoms appear. Within two hours, someone can go from feeling completely well to being confined to bed. That is how flu is recognised,” he added.

He also noted that infected individuals are contagious for around four to five days and should protect their families during this time by wearing a mask, while household members are advised to take preventive antiviral medication that limits the replication of the flu virus.