Pertussis cases on the rise in Croatia

This infectious disease affects the lungs and respiratory organs of infants and children and is caused by bacteria in the mouth, nose, and throat of an infected person. Cases continue to increase due to the failure to vaccinate children. In Dubrovnik, two out of three children who need to be vaccinated have not received the vaccine. Data show that some parents do not understand the severity of the disease. Less than 80 percent of children are vaccinated for the first time, while with the first revaccination the rate drops below 70 percent and with the second only to 35 percent.