Romania, close to a flu epidemic

Medical authorities have made it clear that immunization is the safest protection measure against the flu, as the number of people affected by the virus is increasing, in Romania and other countries in the region

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România Internațional, 25.01.2019, 14:06

Romania is on the verge of a flu epidemic,
medical authorities have warned, urging people to get the flu vaccine as the safest
way to protect themselves from the disease. The number of deaths from
complications caused by the flu stands at several dozens and the number of
infected people is expected to grow. The coordinator of the Immunization Group of
the National Association of General Practitioners, Gino Dumitra, explains:

The data that we have collected in
Romania in the past 15 years show that, on average, the biggest number of cases
is reported around March 15th.
That means we are expecting more infections to be reported in the coming
period. Of course, ideally, people should have got the flu shot in November or
early December, but they can still get it now. It takes two to three weeks from
the moment of vaccination for the body to get really protected against the
virus.

In order to limit the number of infections,
pre-university classes were suspended on Friday, at the recommendation of the
Health Ministry, which is expected to take a decision next week on whether to
declare or not a flu epidemic. Health Minister Sorina Pintea has stated that she
will declare an epidemic if the next report of the National Public Health Institute
confirms the third epidemic week in a row. Sorina Pintea:

I have asked the National Public
Health Institute to present, on Tuesday, the situation at national level, for
us to be able to take the necessary measures as soon as possible. The decision
to suspend classes can be taken by school inspectorates and health authorities,
when the situation calls for it.

The measures aimed at preventing the virus from
spreading include restricting access to hospitals and other medical units and daily
triages in schools and kindergartens. Similar measures have been taken in
countries neighboring Romania, which are facing the same problem. In Bulgaria,
where the biggest number of infections was reported in counties in the south
and east, hundreds of schools and kindergartens have suspended their activity
over the flu scare, with experts expecting a peak in the first month of
February. Hungary, Greece and Croatia
have also been affected by the disease, with a growing number of people
infected with the A-type flu virus reported.