tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
"It?s likely that the H1N1 virus will reappear in Finland next winter," says Petri Ruutu, a professor at the National Institute for Health and Welfare.
Finland's flu season is now coming to a close, and it seems unlikely that the anticipated spring wave of the virus will strike. Hardly any new swine flu cases have been reported in the past few weeks.
The WHO says swine flu cases have dropped off worldwide. Most new cases are being reported in Africa and Asia?particularly in Thailand?a favourite vacation hotspot among Finns.
?Anyone travelling to these areas would be wise to get vaccinated,? says Ruutu, adding that the seasonal influenza season is just beginning in the southern hemisphere.
Half of Finns Protected
So far, about half of Finland?s population has been inoculated against the virus, according to THL researcher Rose-Marie ?lander. She urges people who didn?t get inoculated earlier to get the jab now.
?The more people are vaccinated, the smaller chance the virus has of surviving here,? she says.
Ruutu says the effectiveness of the vaccinations is evident in the fact that no pregnant women in Finland have been admitted to intensive care.
Swine flu emerged a year ago in the United States and Mexico, quickly spreading around the globe. It has killed thousands of people worldwide, including 44 Finns.
http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2010/04/experts_anticipate_swine_flu_wave_by_years_end_1580766.html
Finland's flu season is now coming to a close, and it seems unlikely that the anticipated spring wave of the virus will strike. Hardly any new swine flu cases have been reported in the past few weeks.
The WHO says swine flu cases have dropped off worldwide. Most new cases are being reported in Africa and Asia?particularly in Thailand?a favourite vacation hotspot among Finns.
?Anyone travelling to these areas would be wise to get vaccinated,? says Ruutu, adding that the seasonal influenza season is just beginning in the southern hemisphere.
Half of Finns Protected
So far, about half of Finland?s population has been inoculated against the virus, according to THL researcher Rose-Marie ?lander. She urges people who didn?t get inoculated earlier to get the jab now.
?The more people are vaccinated, the smaller chance the virus has of surviving here,? she says.
Ruutu says the effectiveness of the vaccinations is evident in the fact that no pregnant women in Finland have been admitted to intensive care.
Swine flu emerged a year ago in the United States and Mexico, quickly spreading around the globe. It has killed thousands of people worldwide, including 44 Finns.
http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2010/04/experts_anticipate_swine_flu_wave_by_years_end_1580766.html