The number of vaccinated children has decreased in Moldova over the last few years. As a result, the number of unvaccinated children who catch diseases increased and this is because the people are misinformed about the effects and risks of immunization. In a meeting with the press, the vice director of the National Public Health Center Stela Gheorghita said that 50 children younger than one died last year from pneumonia because they weren’t immunized on time, IPN reports.
“If we speak about the number of vaccinations, it has declined slowly over the last few years. Thus, the number of diseases among children went up. For example, the number of cases of convulsive cough grew because only 92% of the children were vaccinated against this disease. Only 90% of the children were immunized against measles, mumps, and rubella,” said Stela Gheorghita.
She also said that the World Health Organization carried out an inspection at the National Public Health Center and established that all the sanitary standards are respected, from the purchase of the vaccines until their administration. “The people’s distrust in the vaccines brought into Moldova is fuelled by the mass media. In pursuit of sensations, the journalists disseminate information without investigating the situation up to the end. No case of death as a result of vaccination was reported in Moldova over the last 10 years. After the Health Ministry examined the cases of death blamed on the poor quality of vaccines, it established that the deaths had other causes,” stated Stela Gheorghita.
Angela Tomacinschi, division head at the University Clinic for Primary Medical Assistance, said the vaccines save lives and do not cause negative effects. Before vaccination, the parents must be informed, while the children prepared. The given rules are not always respected by the family doctors and this leads to misinformation.
According to healthcare officials, more than 1.5 million doses of vaccine were injected into children in 2012. There were registered only 117 side effects that didn’t produce complications. In Moldova there are 11 types of obligatory vaccines.
