All Hospitals Placed Under Quarantine in Romania After Flu Threat

Bucharest, November 2, 2009 -- On Monday, health authorities from Romania decided that all hospitals will be placed under quarantine throughout the country.

The announcement made by the State Secretary Adrian Streinu-Cercel said that separate emergency wards will be set to treat people with flu symptoms.

Antiviral medicines will be delivered to hospitals that will also be provided with additional funding for surgical masks and disinfectants this week.

Vaccinations are set to begin on November 26 in Romania where all family doctors will be mobilized. The first batch of 1.3 million vaccines are to be given to medical staff, high schools, and university students in the city of Iasi and the capital Bucharest. Border police staff will also be provided with the vaccines in the border with Ukraine.

Since May, a total of 555 influenza A/H1N1 cases have been reported with no deaths. All but 174 cases that are still under treatment have been discharged.

Schools in Bucharest, Dolj, Iasi, and Suceava counties have closed as a measure to avoid the spread of the disease.

Most of the cases have been reported in Iasi, Prahova, and Bucharest.