| THE VACCINATION CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY IN ROMANIA 26/11/2009 |
| (2009-11-26) |
| Last updated: 2009-11-27 20:40 EET |
Meanwhile, the Cantacuzino institute in Bucharest, one of the 8 producers of this vaccine in Europe, has completed clinical tests, and the inoculation campaign starts on November the 26th. The health ministry decided to use the first 1.3 million doses to inoculate the most exposed people, such as students over 15 years, medical and army personnel, customs officials and employees of the Interior Ministry.
Bucharest and several other cities in Moldova, eastern Romania, where most of the cases have been reported, are the top priorities in this campaign as they have witnessed new flu outbreaks. State secretary with the Health Ministry, Adrian Streinu-Cercel explained the vaccination against the H1N1 virus has been recommended not imposed, just as in other similar campaigns. But according to Cercel, people’s awareness and responsibility can make the difference in terms of the number of infections. People have different opinions concerning vaccination. While most of the students, for instance, are in favour of receiving the vaccine, there are others, and also part of the medical staff, who fear its possible side effects.
Health experts have given their assurances these effects are less severe than in the case of any flu virus. The Cantacuzino Institute estimates it will produce nearly 5 million doses of pandemic vaccine by the end of the year, and a similar quantity is to be produced in 2010. For children between 6 months and 15 years, the authorities estimate the campaign is due to start in January next year, as clinical tests in such cases are more stringent than those for adults. The number of infection cases has reached 530 thousand worldwide, with 8 thousand deaths reported so far. Since the first case was detected in mid-May in Romania, the number of people with the new virus has risen up to 2,600.
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2025-04-03
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