Seasonal flu vaccines

The authorities in Romania have begun the distribution of seasonal flu vaccines.

Daniela Budu, 05.12.2017, 12:58

The Romanian Health Ministry has announced that
over one million flu vaccine doses will be distributed nationwide in the coming
period. Constanta, Buzau and Calarasi Counties (South-East), Ilfov, Giurgiu,
Teleorman and Prahova Counties (South) and Bucharest are the first public
health departments to begin delivering the vaccine on Monday. A Health Ministry
press release says that the distribution process will be completed at national
level as soon as possible. This year, the Health Ministry for the first time
has concluded a framework accord on the purchase of the flu vaccine for a two
years’ period so that the supply delays that have been reported in recent years
be avoided.

This year, the Ministry will buy over one
million doses, twice as much as last year, so that as many people at risk as
possible be immunised. According to information provided by the Health
Ministry, this season no confirmed flu cases have been reported on Romanian
soil. Over the past week, roughly 83,000 cases of acute respiratory infection
have been reported at national level, by 4% less than in the same week of 2016,
but by 7% more than in the previous week. In late October, Health Minister
Florian Bodog announced that the first batch of flu vaccine had been delivered
nationwide and vaccination could start. 19,000 vaccine doses were thus provided
for people at risk.

According to the recommendations of the World
Health Organisation, the vaccination campaign must start in late October and
early November. The first to be vaccinated are people at high risk, that is
people aged over 65 who are more exposed to respiratory flu, people suffering
from chronic diseases, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and metabolic
disorders, institutionalised children, the elderly, the medical staff and
pregnant women. Unlike mumps or rubella vaccines, which are valid for a
lifetime, the flu vaccine must be given as an annual shot. Every year,
physicians the world over collect samples from sick patients and send them to
virology experts so that they may develop a vaccine able to annihilate the
virus specific to the next flu season.

As regards mandatory or optional vaccines, the
Health Ministry is trying to talk parents into having their children
vaccinated, given that in recent years, the vaccination rate has dropped
dramatically, which has triggered a large number of measles cases and the death
of some dozens of infants and children in Romania.