Three more districts declare flu epidemic, measures take effect from Monday

Three more districts have declared a flu epidemic starting Monday, January 27, bringing the total to 11 (out of 28 districts in the country).

The districts now added to the list are Vratsa until 31 January, Pleven until 2 February and Shumen until 4 February, the Ministry of Health said on January 24

Meanwhile, the previously introduced temporary anti-epidemic measures in the Haskovo district will be extended until January 31. A time window has been set for scheduled consultations for healthy pregnant women and children, preventive medical check-ups, mandatory immunizations and re-immunizations. These will take place from 8:30 to 10:00 and from 14:00 to 15:30.

In addition to the existing measures, in the coming week, in-person classes will be suspended in the Haskovo region. This measure will also be implemented in Vratsa. Therefore, the total number of districts with closed schools rises to four, including Yambol and Vidin, where classes are suspended only for students in the Vidin municipality. In these regions, the general temporary anti-epidemic measures are also in effect.

Stricter measures against the flu are now in place in Vratsa, along with the already implemented measures in Dobrich, Veliko Tarnovo, Varna, Plovdiv, and Blagoevgrad. In all these regions, by orders of the directors of the respective regional health inspectorates, preventive medical check-ups, mandatory immunizations and re-immunizations, and scheduled consultations for healthy pregnant women and children have been suspended, as well as visits in healthcare facilities and specialised social service institutions for children and adults.

In nurseries and kindergartens, strict morning screening is being conducted to prevent children with flu symptoms or acute respiratory illnesses from entering. Additionally, ongoing surface disinfection and ventilation of rooms are being carried out.