Romania closes Bucharest hospitals to all visitors, some schools and a hotel closed too

[Roehl_JC]

Five schools were closed due to the virus, he said.

"Given the fast spread of the virus in the communities of children and youngsters, including in Bucharest and in three departments in the south and north-east, the ministry decided to close five schools, two in the capital," Streinu-Cercel told a news conference.

"Hospitals are also quarantined, visiting patients being forbidden," he said.
Romania will start swine flu vaccinations in December, targeting first health workers, employees of essential services and students from Bucharest and the northeast city of Iasi, where the two main flu outbreaks were identified.

The border police working at the frontier with Ukraine, a country particularly affected by the virus, are also to be vaccinated.

In order to prevent the spread of swine flu, local authorities also decided to distribute free masks and disinfectant to the schools in Bucharest.

On Sunday, health officials closed a hotel in the mountain resort of Sinaia, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Bucharest, after 40 tourists contracted the virus, most of them students taking part in an international congress.

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[hawkeye]

Re: Romania closes Bucharest hospitals to all visitors, some schools and a hotel closed too

Romania places all hospitals under quarantine
www.chinaview.cn 2009-11-03 06:21:57

BUCHAREST, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Romania's Health Ministry Monday decided to place under quarantine all hospitals in the country, announced State Secretary Adrian Streinu-Cercel.

According to him, separate emergency wards will be opened to exclusively treat people with flu symptoms.

Starting this week, antiviral medicines will be delivered to hospitals, which will also get additional funding for purchasing surgical masks and disinfectants.

Vaccination is expected to start on November 26 and the ministry will issue an order whereby all the family doctors are mobilized in the vaccination campaign, Cercel said, adding that the first 1.3 million doses will be used on medical staff, high school and university students in eastern city of Iasi and the capital city Bucharest. Vaccines will also be provided to border police staff deployed mainly at Romania's border with Ukraine.

Romania has reported 555 A/H1N1 flu cases but with no deaths since May, when the first case was registered, Cercel said. Among them, 174 are still being treated.

Most of the cases are in the northeastern county of Iasi, the south county of Prahova and the capital city of Bucharest, the official said, adding that schools in Bucharest and Dolj, Iasi and Suceava counties have been closed to contain the disease.

The surveillance and control network continues to be on the red alert for finding new cases and the hospitals for infectious diseases are prepared in case of a large flow of patients, Cercel added.