Health Ministry dissatisfied with flu vaccination results

The Ministry of Health is concerned about the way in which the pandemic flu vaccination campaign develops given the persistent epidemiological danger, Info-Prim Neo reports. In a press statement, the Ministry says that only 25,669 persons have been immunized since the start of the campaign until January 3, 2010. Only about 17% of the available vaccines have been used. It also says that the attitude of the managers of public medical sanitary and preventive medicine institutions is inexplicable as they do not make sure that all the employees are vaccinated. 50,000 vaccines are available there, but only 3,486 persons have been immunized so far. The public medical sanitary institutions in Cantemir, Cimislia, Drochia, Singerei, Taraclia, Ciadar-Lunga and Vulcanesti have used less than 10% of the available vaccines. According to the Ministry of Health, the immunization at the State University of Medicine and Pharmaceutics “Nicolae Testemitanu”, the National Clinical Hospital, the Clinical Psychiatry Hospital, the Ftiziopneumology Institute, the Scientific Research Institute for Mother and Child Healthcare, the National Scientific Practical Center of Preventive Medicine and other institutions was not properly organized. The Ministry stressed that no serious side effects have been reported after administering the vaccines against pandemic flu provided by Romania. It said that the medical assistance provided by the family doctors to persons suffering from acute viral infections and flu does not always meet the Ministry's standards. Of the 100,000 doses of Tamiflu purchased by the Government of Moldova, only 11,371 doses or 11.4 % had been used by December 29. The Ministry of Health asks the Preventive Medicine Center of the State Chancellery of Moldova, the Carabineer Troops Department, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defense, the Border Guards Department, the Security and Information Service, the State Guard, the Emergencies Service, the medical institutions in the Transnistrian region and the Preventive Medicine Centers in Cantemir, Cimislia, Glodeni and Taraclia to provide information about the organization and holding of the vaccination campaign. A number of 123,311 vaccines against pandemic flu are now available in the national public medical sanitary institutions.