Immunization services at Moldova's medical institutions postponed

Chisinau, 24 April /MOLDPRES/ - The National Public Health Agency (ANSP), after analyzing the risks as to the spread of the COVID-19 infection, ruled to postpone the immunization services at the medical institutions, except for the immunizations in the maternity hospitals and the vaccination against rabies.  

According to the head of the ANSP information and communication service, Olesea Croitor, only the vaccines HepB and BCG from maternity hospital will be administered and the vaccination against rabies will be allowed on the emergency state period.   

Yet, after the epidemiological situation through the COVID-19 infection improves in Moldova, all parents are urged to urgently revise their vaccinations for children, according to the calendar of vaccination and in the lack of vaccinations, to appeal to the family physician to get information on the importance of the immunizations and be subsequently vaccinated.

ANSP’s data shows that, in Moldova, the coverage with vaccines has been decreasing in the last three years. For instance, the coverage with vaccines     against measles, mumps and rubella was of 88 per cent in 2019, 90.3 per cent in 2018 and 87.1 percent in 2017. The unfriendly epidemiological situation as to measles in more European countries in 2016-2018, including in Romania and Ukraine, favoured the import of the infection in Moldova in 2018-2019. Thus, in 2018, 340 measles cases were recorded, of which 16 cases were of import and in 2019 – 90 cases of measles, of which 23 cases of import. Another imminent risk is presented by diphtheria, cases of which are registered in the neighbour country Ukraine. The immunization against diphtheria is made for free to children and at family physicians to adults. The primary anti-diphtheria vaccination consists in the administration of three doses of combined vaccine with content of diphtheric anatoxin at the child’s age of 2, 4, 6 months and a re-vaccination in 22-24 months. Revaccinations are made to children at the age of 7 and 15 years. Adults must get anti-diphtheria vaccination every 10 years.  

Specialists remind that immunizations are the most successful and the most efficient public health interventions used at present.