Radio Romania International

Archives:

A CONTROVERSIAL VACCINE 25/11/2008
(2008-11-25)
Last updated: 2008-11-26 14:33 EET Print
The campaign against cervical cancer which started in Romania on Monday has sparked controversies about the advantages and disadvantages of the vaccination against the virus which is responsible for the disease. The nation-wide campaign of vaccination against the “Human Papilloma Virus”, which is responsible for cervical cancer started in Romania on Monday. More than 100 thousand Romanian girls, 4th graders, will be included in this free vaccination program. Specialists say the virus is responsible for more than 99% of all cases of cervical cancer. In Romania, of all types of cancer, cervical cancer is the main cause of death of women in the 15 to 44 years age bracket. Statistics show that 6 women die of this disease in Romania every day and more than 3 thousand others are diagnosed with cancer every year. Health Minister Eugen Nicolaescu says that over the past 20 years, Romania has registered the highest death rate in Europe because of cervical cancer, a rate which is 6.3 times higher than the EU average. In spite of these statistical figures, the vaccine against this disease has sparked many controversies, being associated with over 20 deaths in the US and two in Europe. The Director of the “Matei Bals” Institute of Infectious Diseases in Bucharest, Adrian Streinu Cercel, says there is no cause-effect relationship between the vaccine against the virus and those deaths. He has also dismissed the theory according to which sterility could be one of the side effects of the vaccine. There are also supporters of this vaccination program among Romanian gynecologists. They say there are huge benefits, adding that the US Medicine Agency, the strictest such body in the world has given green light to this vaccine. The girls’ parents can however refuse vaccination, but according to the Health Ministry they should sign a declaration assuming all consequences.

		WMA
	64kbps :	1 2 3
	128kbps :	1 2 3
		MP3
	64kbps :	1 2 3
	128kbps :	1 2 3
		AAC+
	48kbps :	1 2 3
	64kbps :	1 2 3

Listen again
to RRI's broadcasts


Listen Here
These are the hours when you can listen to the programmes broadcast by the English Service of RRI.
Time (UTC)	12.00 - 13.00
01.00 - 02.00	18.00 - 19.00
04.00 - 05.00	21.30 - 22.00
06.30 - 07.00	23.00 - 24.00

Weather Forecast

Historical mascot of RRI

© 1999 - 2011 Copyright Radio Romania International