Doctors and health experts in Bulgaria are calling for stricter penalties after investigations revealed many children’s vaccination records may be falsified, undermining efforts to control a severe measles outbreak across the country.
Bulgarian doctors and public health experts are calling for tougher penalties against general practitioners accused of recording measles, mumps and rubella jabs that were never given, after tests suggested many children listed as vaccinated had no antibodies. The controversy has sharpened as the country’s measles outbreak has worsened, with health officials saying the gap between paperwork and real immunisation is putting children and communities at risk.
According to Bulgaria’s chief state health inspector, Angel Kunchev, the country had recorded 489 measles cases from March to the end of July, making it one of the worst-hit in Europe this year. He said 460 of those cases were concentrated in Vratsa, Lovech and Pleven, and that in Lovech nearly 60% of the children tested and recorded as vaccinated lacked antibodies not only to measles but also to mumps and rubella, the three diseases covered by the combined vaccine. Kunchev argued that, in most cases, this meant a family doctor had certified an injection that was never administered.
The health ministry has already been responding to the outbreak with a large immunisation drive. BTA reported that by April 9 Bulgaria had registered 101 cases in five regions, with Vratsa accounting for most of them and more than half of those infected unvaccinated. By May 4, the tally had risen to 225 cases across seven regions, and more than 28,000 measles, mumps and rubella vaccines had been administered since the outbreak began. By July 8, BNT said the total had climbed to 446 confirmed cases across 11 districts, with children making up the vast majority of patients.
Public criticism has been fierce. Anaesthesiologist Darislav Nikolov said parents had told him that some family doctors in Sofia were also willing to issue vaccination records without giving the shot, often for money and through informal channels. Epidemiologist Christiana Batseva said a doctor who records a vaccination that was not given endangers public health. Educator Petar Velkov went further, saying doctors who carried out such fraud should lose their licences, face heavy fines and potentially prison. The broader concern, health experts say, is that fake records undermine trust in the vaccination programme at the very moment when Bulgaria is trying to contain a preventable outbreak.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
