Radio România Internațional

Tag: hemolytic uremic syndrome

  • A complex health issue

    A complex health issue

    The E-coli bacterium, which has recently caused severe digestive disorders in several babies in Romania, has been tracked down in cottage cheese provided by a dairy firm in Arges County, southern Romania, as well as in chicken meat originating from a farm in Bacau, eastern Romania. These are the results of the investigation conducted by the National Veterinary Health Authority in the case of babies diagnosed with the hemolytic-uremic syndrome. The dairy company in Arges County also sold its products to large retail chains. Investigators collected 337 samples from dairy products, beef and chicken meat, fruit and vegetables and have so far tested 200 samples. The dairy company in Arges County has been shut down, as Cristian Soare, the local prefect, told us:



    “All activity in the dairy section has been put on hold pending the investigation. We have started the disinfection and sterilization of this section, of working areas, equipment and facilities, after which we will carry out tests to see how effective the sanitation procedures were. Additionally, all working personnel will undergo fecal and bacteriological checks in a special laboratory. We will collect milk samples from the two farms to test them against bacteria, and we will also test the water that was brought in and out of the production unit.



    The E-coli bacterium the sanitation investigators have identified is the same as the one found in babies that were hospitalized in Bucharest. Meanwhile, the number of children reporting acute diarrhea has exceeded 50 in hospitals in Arges County, while there are still children suffering from the hemolytic-uremic syndrome admitted at the Marie Curie Hospital in Bucharest. Three babies died last month from severe digestive disorders. The Health and Education Ministries are preparing to introduce new hygiene norms and regulations in schools in the shortest time possible. Here is Health Minister Patriciu Achimas Cadariu:



    “Our specialists have pooled resources to prepare a set of hygiene measures that will be submitted to schools and inspectorates. That is perfectly normal, but we need to insist on such measures as often as possible, all the more so now, in order to raise the awareness of parents, teachers and doctors.



    The Health Ministry has announced its intention to introduce a new subject matter in schools and kindergartens – “health education, where children will learn about healthy foods, personal hygiene and the fight against alcohol and smoking.

    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • Crisis and prevention in Romanian medicine

    Crisis and prevention in Romanian medicine

    Cross-checks will start on March 10 in all hospitals in Romania, Healthcare minister Patriciu Achimaş-Cadariu announced on Monday. The measure was taken after several babies from Arges County (in the south of Romania) were taken to the “Marie Curie” hospital in Bucharest, having been diagnosed with the hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Three of the babies have died. The delayed reaction of the Romanian authorities and the fact that they have not yet found the source of contamination have stirred a wave of criticism.



    According to the Healthcare Minister this case has proved that a whole information chain was non-functional. He said the hospital in Pitesti had not reported the situation in due time and the investigation was delayed because the Arges Public Health Department had found about the case from the media. The Healthcare Minister called on public health institutions to show more responsibility, to observe regulations and have a better communication with the local authorities. He insisted on a more efficient collaboration between inspection and monitoring bodies and on a revision of the internal working procedures.



    Health Minister, Patriciu Achimaş-Cadariu: “I insisted on the transfer of responsibilities at a local level, but, at the same time, on cooperation between the Healthcare Ministry, institutions and departments, irrespective if they are subordinated to the Healthcare Ministry or to County Councils or City Halls. The law is the same for everybody”.



    Minister Cadariu also called on public and private hospitals to set up their own registers of communicable diseases and unexpected events. They are to be checked on a weekly basis by the representatives of the public county health departments. Meanwhile the condition of the children hospitalized at the “Marie Curie” hospital has improved. According to the head of the nephrology section, Mihaela Bălgrădean, the children are fed normally, which is an important step forward in the evolution of their health.



    Almost 3 weeks have passed since the first cases of hemolytic-uremic syndrome were reported, but the authorities have not managed to identify the cause of infection yet. The epidemiological investigation coordinated by a team of foreign experts, which is now in Romania, is under way. In parallel, the Romanian Prime Minister’s Control Body started to verify the way in which medical treatment is provided and the way in which the causes of disease are being investigated.

  • February 23, 2016

    February 23, 2016

    PROTEST – Over 500 miners from the Lonea mining exploitation have blocked themselves in the underground in token of protest against the current situation at the Hunedoara Energy Complex, in the centre of the country. Some of them have gone on hunger strike and one of them needs medical care. Some of those blocked in the underground already have health problems, because of the limited amount of air in the gallery. The miners do not intend to suspend the protest and wait for energy minister Victor Grigorescu to come at the Lonea Mine. They fear they would lose their jobs, because the Hunedoara Energy Complex has entered default of payment and might go bankrupt. In another move, the line minister said yesterday that the countrys energy strategy, which will be finalised this autumn, should look like a business plan, and should not be considered a mere public policy project. According to Grigorescu, placing the coal sector on the right base again, trading the Hidroelectrica company on the stock exchange and keeping nuclear energy experts in the country will be some of the elements included in the strategy.



    DIASPORA– The Romanians living abroad are vectors of development and modernisation for the country, Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, had today told a conference in Bucharest, attended by representatives of the Romanian organisations in the Diaspora. The Romanian President has also said the Romanians presence abroad should be a matter of choice and not of necessity and promised, on short term, to initiate a partnership meant to render Romania a prosperous and strong state. In turn, Romanian Prime Minister, Dacian Ciolos, has made public the governments intention to take a series of measures to determine the Romanians living outside the borders of the country to get more involved in investment projects, encourage peoples return to rural areas, increase the scholarship fund, improve consular services and help them exert their own rights, such as the right to vote.



    ECONOMY– The value of the merger and acquisition market in Romania increased by 160% in 2015, exceeding 3 billion Euros, a research conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers Romania shows. Most transactions were made in the industrial production sector and on the real estate market, with the average value of a transaction standing at 26 million Euros, PricewaterhouseCoopers Romania also shows. The significant growth of the local market is partly due to a similar evolution at international level, as the total value of global mergers and acquisitions in 2015 broke the historic high set in 2007. PricewaterhouseCoopers, headquartered in New York, is the largest professional consultancy and auditing service provider in the world.



    HEALTHCARE- Cross-checks will be carried out in all hospitals in Romania between March 10th and 25th, healthcare minister Patriciu Achimas-Cadariu announced on Monday. The measure was taken after several babies from Arges County (in the south) were taken to the “Marie Curie Hospital in Bucharest, having been diagnosed with the hemolytic-uremic syndrome. The situation has brought to light a series of shortcomings in the healthcare system. Meanwhile, the situation of the seven hospitalised children has improved. Only one is still undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit. Two babies will be released from hospital this week. 3 children died this month of severe digestive problems. The epidemiological investigation coordinated by foreign experts, currently in Romania, continues.



    JUSTICE – The European Court of Human Rights has today ruled against Romania in the Romanian Revolution file. The state should pay 15,000 Euros to each of the 17 plaintiffs, who lost relatives during the anti-communist Revolution. The file was opened in 2014 against the Romanian state by relatives of the victims of the December 1989 Revolution. The lengthy investigation in the December 1989 Revolution carried out by military prosecutors is the main issue reproached by the plaintiffs.



    SYRIA– A ceasefire agreement will be enforced in Syria as of February 27, FP news agency quotes a joint Russian-American communiqué, released by the U.S. Department of State. The agreement excludes the Islamic State terrorist group and the Al-Nusra Front, the Al Qaedas branch in Syria. The government and the opposition in Syria stood for the ceasefire, but they put pre-conditions, which are difficult to meet. Russia and the US are co-chairs of the International Support Group for Syria, which is made up of 17 countries. UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has hailed the agreement, considering it a sign of hope for the Syrian population, but he drew attention that there is still a lot to be done to enforce it.




    TENNIS – Romanian Simona Halep, the competitions second seed, is today playing Russian Elena Vesnina, in the second round of the Doha tournament, with 2.5 million dollars in prize money up for grabs. In the doubles, Simona Halep and Raluca Olaru of Romania lost in the first round to Andreja Klepac / Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia. On Monday evening, the pair made up of Romanian Monica Niculescu and Russian Margarita Gasparian qualified to the round of last sixteen of the Doha tournament, after securing a victory against the pair Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia)/Ekaterina Makarova (Russia). In the singles, Niculescu has qualified for the second round, after defeating German Sabine Lisicki on Monday. She will face Serbian Jelena Jankovic in the second round.


    Translated by Diana Vijeu

  • February 20, 2016

    February 20, 2016

    EUROPEAN UNION – British Premier David Cameron has said he will announce a date for the referendum on whether Britain should remain in the EU later today, after a meeting of his Cabinet. The agreement on renegotiating the UKs EU membership was announced by European Council president Donald Tusk. After two days of talks in Brussels with other EU leaders, Cameron said the EU provided the concessions he sought, including assurances that the other nations wont try to make Britain part of a “European superstate.” According to the British premier, there will be tough new restrictions on access to his country’s welfare system for EU migrants. World leaders praised the deal, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying the EU leaders clearly wanted Britain to stay. President Klaus Iohannis, who represented Romania at the summit, has said that Romanians currently working in the UK will not be affected by the deal, which only affects workers that will enter the British labour market after its enforcement.




    LAW – The Romanian Justice Ministry jointly with the Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA), the Direction for the Investigation of Organized Crimes and Terrorism (DIICOT) and the General Prosecutor’s Office are working on a bill allowing public bodies to further access private communications. The Constitutional Court has recently ruled that several provisions of an article in the Criminal Procedure Code violate the fundamental law, such as the ones allowing the Romanian Intelligence Service to tap suspects’ phone calls. Justice Minister, Raluca Pruna, has said that the bill will be ready by the time the Court publicly motivates its ruling, so that there will be no legislative gaps with negative effects on the ongoing criminal investigations.




    HEALTHCARE – The haemolytic uremic syndrome in a 1-year old from eastern Romania, currently treated in a hospital in Iasi, has not been confirmed, Romanian health authorities announced. On Friday, the Romanian PM, Dacian Ciolos, and the healthcare minister, Patriciu Achimas Cadariu travelled to Arges County, in the south, where several cases of serious digestive problems had been reported among children. On Thursday two foreign experts came to Romania in an attempt to identify the source of the bacteria that caused the digestive problems in children. We recall that three children died this month due to serious digestive infections followed by major complications and seven children are being treated in a Bucharest hospital, having been diagnosed with the haemolytic uremic syndrome.




    UNITED NATIONS – Russia regrets the fact that the United Nations Security Council rejected its bid to halt Turkeys military actions against Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He has given assurances that Moscow will continue supporting government forces against what it calls “terrorists.” Russia considers such cross-border shelling that Turkey is carrying out as unacceptable, Peskov also said. Turkey has intensely bombed areas in the northern province of Aleppo, controlled by the Kurds, which it sees as responsible for Wednesday’s bloody attack in Ankara. Turkey has pleaded for the international coalition’s ground military intervention in Syria.




    FILM – The feature film “Illegitimate” directed by Romanian Adrian Sitaru has a final screening today at the Berlin International Film Festival. The film, which had its world premiere late last week, has received big hands of applause from the public and appreciative reviews by international journalists. “Illegitimate”, one of the most daring and thought-provoking Romanian films in recent years, tells the story of two brothers and their illegitimate love. The Berlin International Film Festival started on February 11 and runs until February 21.




    HANDBALL — Romania’s vice champion women’s handball team, HCM Baia Mare, on Friday qualified to the Champions League’s quarter finals, after defeating, on home turf, the German team Thuringer HC, 38-27, in the main Group 1 of the Champions League. In the same competition, but in the 2nd main Group, the champions CSM Bucharest will take on the Danish team FC Midtjylland, on Sunday, in an away match.



    (Translated by Elena Enache)