Raed Arafat believes a delay in vaccination will not affect children’s health:

Raed Arafat: “I am keeping the situation under observation until I have a final report from our experts and the experts from the World Health Organization”.

Medical experts argue the vaccine must be specific for the population of Romania. Doctor Monica Balteanu, from the Cantacuzino Medical Institute in Bucharest, explains:

Monica Balteanu: “The Ministry of Health was told in 1998 the strain cannot be changed, because it can also be found in Romania. The World Health Organization even recommends countries not to change the vaccines if the particular strain it contains is efficient in preventing tuberculosis in the local population”.

Experts say the strain of the Danish vaccine is associated with increased reactogenicity, while the Romanian vaccine made by the Cantacuzino Institute before production was halted in 2011 is different. Experts also say that the tuberculosis vaccine was introduced relatively recently in Denmark, with the coming of the first wave of immigrants. Doctors point out that while Romania has one of the highest TB incidence rates in the European Union, local vaccine production lines were closed and the authorities now have to import serum from abroad instead of modernizing the existing facilities.

An estimated 200,000 children have been given the Danish vaccine this year. Adverse vaccine reactions were reported in 115 newborns, half of whom needed tuberculosis therapy. Of these 20% underwent surgery while 6% are still under anti-biotic treatment. Tuberculosis vaccination was first introduced in Romania in 1926. At present it is part of the national immunisation programme and is administered free of charge.