Romania's Health Ministry officially declared a nationwide measles epidemic on Tuesday evening, in a bid to bolster the vaccination of children aged 9 to 11 months, and allow non-immunized children or those with an incomplete immunization status to catch up. The move is the result of the worrisome increase in measles cases, as well as of the large number of hospitalizations in pediatric and infectious disease wards, the Ministry said, adding that almost 2,000 cases are currently registered in Romania in 29 out of 41 counties.The Ministry will enlist family doctors to run an information campaign for parents, for a better adherence to the vaccination program."Measles is an infectious disease, which is easily transmitted especially to unvaccinated children, and sometimes it has a serious evolution, as complications may occur. The nationwide first-dose vaccine coverage is 78 percent, and that with the second dose is 62 percent of eligible children, having followed a downward trend for more than 10 years now. The recent adoption of the National Vaccination Strategy is precisely aimed at eliminating these risks to public health, caused by vaccine-preventable diseases," the Health Ministry said."There was a progressive decrease in interest in vaccination. (...) There have been intense anti-vaccine campaigns - including against corona immunization. (...) There are concrete cases, people must know that measles is sometimes a delayed fatal disease. There is a condition caused by the measles virus, subacute panencephalitis, which appears a few years after a measles illness and which is fatal. Everyone should avoid this danger," Health Minister Alexandru Rafila told a specialist conference on Wednesday.Doctor Adrian Marinescu, the medical director of the 'Matei Bals' National Institute for Infectious Diseases, said that the rise in the number of measles cases is a consequence of lacking protection through vaccination."Let me caution you of an important aspect - in the near future, or in the following weeks we also expect a surge in the spread of flu viruses and, in general, of viruses that are transmitted through the airways - and measles falls in this category too, we'll have the flu, we will also have other viruses, and things can get quite complicated," Marinescu explained.
Two Romanians were arrested during Sunday night, May 11, after robbing empty houses in the evacuated mountain village of Brienz located in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The village had been evacuated since November due to rock falls. The locality was, however, monitored by the authorities to prevent break-ins. The would-be thieves apparently tried to […]
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or EBRD, has revised its estimates regarding the evolution of the Romanian economy in 2025 downward to 1.6%. The bank expects Romania’s GDP to grow 0.2% less than the 1.8% estimate made in February, and to increase by 2.4% in 2026. Romania's GDP growth slowed to 0.8% in […]
During a meeting on Monday, May 12, the Cluj-Napoca Local Council approved a draft resolution that imposes smoking restrictions in several public spaces in the city, including public transport stations, parks, and sports facilities. The resolution was adopted with 22 votes in favor and 3 abstentions, and will come into effect 90 days from the […]
An internal survey by Romanian Business Leaders, which does not have national representativeness but was answered by 417 entrepreneurs, shows that 62% of entrepreneurs expect to have to make layoffs, while a third expect the number of employees to remain the same. The expected layoffs are directly connected to the possibility of Romania choosing a […]
Romanian Istvan Kovacs will be the main referee for the UEFA Champions League final between Paris St-Germain and Inter Milan, which will be played on May 31 in Munich. The match will be Kovacs’ third European final in the last 4 years. The 40-year-old referee has previously officiated the UEFA Europa Conference League final in […]
Over 70 museums across Romania will open their doors after hours for the 21st edition of Night of Museums, one of the country's most anticipated cultural events. Held on the night of May 17, the event offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore exhibitions, installations, and creative activities in an unconventional, late-night setting. From major […]
