Bulgarian health officials report vaccination fraud in Lovech

Bulgaria's Chief State Health Inspector, Angel Kunchev, has reported that the prosecutor's office and the State Agency for National Security (DANS) have been notified regarding fraudulent vaccination practices in the Lovech Province. Since 2022, authorities have fined 12 general practitioners, 17 parents, a director, and two medical staff members for violating the immunization calendar.

Kunchev highlighted a significant issue in certain medical practices within the Ugarchin and Lukovit municipalities, where the rate of non-responders to vaccines reached 60%, compared to the typical rate of 0.1% to 1%. He stated that these cases likely involve doctors reporting vaccinations that were never actually administered while still collecting payment, which he characterized as a threat to public health and security.

Regarding the current health landscape, Kunchev noted that the country is facing a third measles epidemic, with 500 cases reported so far. This follows a previous epidemic of 1,500 cases during the COVID-19 period and a much larger outbreak of 23,000 children a decade ago. He also mentioned that the state has made the chickenpox vaccine free to increase accessibility, noting that there are approximately 30,000 chickenpox cases annually.