Epidemiological Characteristics of Intestinal Infections in the Dobrich Region for the Period 2019–2023

Introduction : Intestinal infectious diseases are a major epidemiological group of importance in human pathology in Bulgaria and worldwide. Aim : The aim of this study was to assess the main epidemiological characteristics of intestinal infections, excluding the viral hepatitis group, in the Dobrich region. Materials and Methods : Data were collected from RHI-Dobrich, the National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCIPD), and the Ministry of Health's National System for Epidemiological Surveillance of Hospitals. Methods included epidemiological analysis, statistical methods, documentary analysis, and graphical presentation of results. Results : The incidence of intestinal infections in the Dobrich region during the studied period showed a clear tendency to decrease. There is a significant difference between the years before and after the pandemic. In 2019, the rates were slightly higher (29.81%) than the national average (29.27%). In the remaining period, they were below the national average. Conclusions : During the study period in the Dobrich district, salmonellosis and shigellosis exhibited a sporadic nature, with no recorded epidemic outbreaks except in isolated areas with low living standards and poor health habits. Colienteritis remains a prevalent cause of intestinal infections, with traditional epidemiological activity of pathogenic coli bacteria in early childhood (0–5 years).