Seasonal influenza vaccination has been stopped

Seasonal influenza vaccination has been stopped for a period of 7-10 days because of the doubtful quality of the Romanian vaccine, according to a press release of the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry of Health, Ritli Ladislau, called for urgent and written information about the immunogenicity of the seasonal influenza vaccine produced by the Cantacuzino Institute.

According to the Ministry of Health, no cases of people developing health problems following vaccination have been reported.

On 3 January the Ministry of Health announced that the free influenza vaccination campaign would continue in 2012. So far 479 589 people at high risk of contracting influenza were vaccinated.

The National Center for Communicable Disease Surveillance and Control (CNSBT) recorded during the last week of 2011, 53 606 cases of people with acute respiratory infections.

Among these, over 11 429 were cases of people who developed pneumonia and 42 141 who contracted respiratory viruses. The number of cases of influenza at a national level was 36.

According to a CNSB report, in Romania seven cases of seasonal influenza (A/H3N2) were confirmed by 3 January.

Translated by: Denisse-Meda Bucura
MA student, MTTLC Bucharest University