Prosecutors take legal action over infection of children with TB

The Prosecutor’s Office of Donduseni district filed a lawsuit over the infection of children of “Luceafarul” kindergarten with tuberculosis. The children caught the infection from a sick educator, Info-Prim Neo reports. The legal action was taken following an examination performed by epidemiological specialists of the Ministry of Health. The brother and father of the infected woman also suffered from this disease. According to the examination results, 65 of the 252 children and 47 employees of the kindergarten had a positive Mantoux test. After performing roentgen examinations, bronchitis was detected in ten children. After a tomography test, five children were sent to the Ftiziopneumology Institute for additional examinations, while a child was taken to the Ftiziopneumology Hospital in Balti with TB of lymph nodes. The parents were convinced to agree to chemical prophylaxis so that the children do not develop local tuberculosis. “It will be forced hospitalization, not forced treatment,” said Minister of Health Andrei Usatyi. The kindergarten’s educator Elena Tcaci was admitted to the Ftiziopneumology Hospital in Balti with pulmonary TB. According to Andrei Usatyi, the educator is the only one to blame for the children’s infection. Under the Penal Code, the non-observance of the measures to prevent or combat epidemic diseases that led to the spread of a certain disease is punished with a fine of 4 000 to 8 000 lei or up to one year’s imprisonment. The legal entity is punished with a fine or 20 000 to 40 000 lei and may be closed. Any form of tuberculosis in Moldova is treated free of charge. A sum of 182.3 million lei was allocated this year for providing the population with medical assistance and drugs, 62 million lei of which from the Global Fund.