Nearly half a year after the launch of the tender for the acquisition of the meningococcal infection vaccine, it has not yet been procured and is not available in the Republic of Moldova. According to the Minister of Health, Ala Nemerenco, the reason is the lack of a supplier – no company has registered within the tenders. Currently, the authorities are negotiating with a country that has acquired a larger stock of the vaccine and might be willing to sell a part of it to Moldova, reports IPN.
“All the auctions we have conducted ended in vain. Absolutely no supplier participated. Through the Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices, we contacted the largest provider on the market that produces this vaccine. We are negotiating with them, as we are in the middle of the year and usually, the planning and production of the vaccine begins at the end of each year, for the following year”, explained the minister.
According to her, there are discussions with a country that has procured more vaccines, if it is willing and if it has a vaccine reserve that it could sell to Moldova. “We remain optimistic in this regard, because this goal we have set – to vaccinate the children of the Republic of Moldova against meningitis, which is a very dangerous disease and often ends with the death of the child”, the minister added.
The Ministry of Health announced the commencement of the procurement procedure for a batch of vaccine against meningococcal infection in February of the current year. To ensure immunization and prevent complications of the infection among children, the procured vaccine was to be administered first to them, at the request of the parents, starting from the age of 2 months.
According to specialists, meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, caused by a virus. If not treated promptly, it can lead to permanent brain and nerve damage. Symptoms of meningitis include: fever, malaise, irritability and lack of energy, headaches, muscle and joint pain, rapid breathing, seizures, vomiting, etc. Doctors urge the public to seek assistance at the first symptoms of the disease, in order to intervene in time with the appropriate treatment.
In the last ten years, over 220 cases of meningococcal infection have been recorded in the Republic of Moldova, most of them in children aged 0-2 years. The fatality rate was 23%, which means over 50 deaths.
