The Ministry of Health of Moldova plans to buy an additional 600,000 doses of vaccine in connection with the increase in cases of mumps in the country. As reported by Infotag, the assistant director of the National Center of Preventative Medicine on questions of epidemiology, Vasily Sokhotsky, eight million leu (approximately $710,000) are needed for the additional doses of vaccine. According to the news source, even with the necessary funds the vaccines will not arrive quickly as it takes three months to produce, noted Sokhotsky. Mikhail Magdei, a deputy of the Our Moldova Alliance faction, initiated a request for the Center for Preventative Medicine to present an account of the reasons for the spread of the disease.  Meanwhile, the capital city’s leadership was called on to join the search for funds, since two-thirds of the cases are registered in Chisinau.

Two thousand cases of mumps have been registered since the start of the year; the highest rates of infection are among teenagers in Chisinau and the center of Moldova. Two-thirds of those infected have received only one dose of the vaccine rather than the required two, reports Infotag.

This information was originally published on January 16, 2008. (www.infortag.md)