ABSTRACT
The authors analyze the effectiveness of the National Vaccination Programme with regard to poliomyelitis eradication in Bulgaria and the difficulties encountered in the 1980s and at the beginning of the 1990s. An account is presented on the eradication achieved, interrupted by an outbreak of 46 cases in 1991. The critical analysis points out the negative influence of several factors, disrupted by the failure in 1991. Based on these fact conclusions are drawn on a prolongation of the period needed to achieve the Eradication Programme goal. The main reasons for the delay are as follows: the intensive migration process, the existence of small non-immunized groups of population (gipsy population) as well as some shortcomings in the organization of the health services. According to the authors, stricter epidemiologic supervision is imperative for the country as well as coordination of similar approach to the problem in countries of the region.
Subject(s)
Immunization Programs , Poliomyelitis/prevention & control , Adolescent , Adult , Bulgaria/epidemiology , Child , Child, Preschool , Disease Outbreaks , Humans , Immunization Schedule , Incidence , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Poliomyelitis/epidemiology , Poliomyelitis/ethnology , Poliomyelitis/mortality , Poliovirus Vaccine, Oral , Population Surveillance , RomaABSTRACT
The epidemiological effectiveness of dipyridamol, an interferon-inducing agent used for the prevention of influenza and viral acute respiratory diseases, was tested in 4 epidemiological trials, 3 of them carried out as double blind trials. Observations were made in groups of adults (a research institute, a factory) and children (a kindergarten, a school), comprising 1040 subjects in the test groups and 771 subjects in the control groups. The drug was used during the whole epidemic period (January--March 1983) according to the following schedule: 1 oral administration in 8 days, in doses of 8 mg for adults, 50 mg for schoolchildren and 24 mg for children in the kindergarten. The epidemiological effectiveness of the drug was evaluated by comparing the total morbidity rates in influenza and acute respiratory diseases in the test and control groups. The results of 4 trials showed a pronounced epidemiological effectiveness of dipyridamol. The values of the epidemiological effectiveness index of the drug were 2.38 in the kindergarten, 1.55 at the school, 7.42 at the factory and 2.16 at the research institute. The results of the study of dipyridamol suggest that further investigations should be made with a view to use it for the mass prevention of influenza and acute respiratory diseases.
