Health Ministry asks city authorities to contribute money for mumps shots

The Ministry of Health asks the Chisinau authorities to contribute 2.8 million lei for the shots needed to immunise the youth in the municipality against mumps. 13 million lei are needed to conduct the immunisation campaign throughout the country, Mihai Moldovan, head of the public health division, told a City Council’s meeting on Tuesday. Presenting a report on mumps incidence in the municipality, Moldovan informed the councillors that the purchased shots are to arrive in Chisinau within 10 days. The municipality alone needs 140,000 pieces of vaccine to immunise the youth in the age group 14-25. The cost of a shot, plus consumables and the remuneration of the medical personnel, will amount to 20 lei. Ion Cibotaru, acting chief of the Municipal Centre for Preventive Medicine, says that the unusually high incidence of mumps is ascribed to the fact that the youth didn’t receive the required two shots when due, because of the economic crisis that affected Moldova after 1992. Even now, Cibotaru says, the national immunisation programme is by about 30% short of funds needed to meet its targets, that is why the municipality’s financial contribution is so necessary. Mihai Moldovan mentioned that the first mumps case in Chisinau was reported in October 2007. Since then until late December, their number rose to 836, and since the start of the year until now, soared to nearly 1,300. Although the weekly incidence rate fell from 480 to 416 cases, the peak is yet to come, Dr. Moldovan warned. CMC chair Mihai Ghimpu instructed the Finance Department and the Public Health Division to draft a proposal for the allocation of the money required for the shots and to submit it for City Council consideration at its next meeting on Thursday, February 7.