Since May 5 until now, more than 50 cases of measles have been registered in Sângereii Noi commune of Sângerei district. Public health specialists travelled to the commune to persuade parents to vaccinate their children, IPN reports.

The National Public Health Agency said that doctors, together with experts of the WHO Country Office, traveled to the locality to take anti-epidemic measures and prevent the spread of infection. It was found that a large part of the children of the commune hadn’t been vaccinated against measles on the grounds that their parents refuse immunization.

The Extraordinary District Public Health Commission was convened and this decided to carry out an information and vaccination campaign in the localities of Sângereii Noi, Marinești and Trifănești.

Specialists visited a number of families to inform them about the benefits of vaccination as the only way to prevent measles. Thus, between June 20 and July 2, a total of 57 people, mainly children, were vaccinated against measles in the commune, including 32 children vaccinated with the first dose (with parents who previously refused vaccination).

The measles situation is alarming in the neighboring country Romania. The Romanian press yesterday reported that an eight-month-old child from Iasi died, this being the 19th death caused by measles. The National Institute of Public Health of Romania said that almost 600 measles cases were registered last week and the total number exceeds 20,000.