A flu epidemic could be declared in Romania
Romania is on the verge of declaring a flu epidemic, after the number of infections has increased rapidly recently, reports HotNews.ro.
The Minister of Health from Bucharest, Alexandru Rafila, said on Wednesday that there is an algorithm that leads to the declaration of epidemic status: a three-week progressive increase in cases by at least 20% each consecutive week and a rate of isolation of influenza viruses that exceeds 10% of the total. In an intervention on Digi 24, he stated that on Thursday the exact situation will be known and it is "very likely" to register the third week with an increase in the number of flu cases, which means that an epidemic can be declared. "One must not understand that restrictions and obligations will be introduced. It is about the measures that are taken at the level of health units to limit visits, in the hospital during the period that this epidemic situation will evolve, on the one hand. On the other hand, the measures related to the observance of the protection measures of the medical staff and patients in the medical units are being intensified, including the use of the mask in the medical unit, the epidemiological screening to avoid that people with respiratory viruses come to work", said Alexandru Rafila. The Romanian Minister of Health said that this is not an unusual situation, considering the two years in which the circulation of viruses was slowed down due to pandemic measures, and the population "is less immunologically prepared". The last time a flu epidemic was declared in Romania was in February 2020, for the second consecutive year.
