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Source: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-02/22/c_137840740.htm
"Unusually aggressive" virus, harsh winter to blame for high flu death rate in Cyprus
Source: Xinhua| 2019-02-22 03:35:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan
NICOSIA, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- An "unusually aggressive" type A flu virus and a harsher-than-normal winter in Cyprus are the key factors to be blamed for the high rate of deaths among people affected, a Ministry of Health official told state radio on Thursday.
Maria Koliou, chief of the Infectious Diseases Control section of the Cypriot Ministry of Health, said that the number of deaths, 12 up to now, is much higher compared with previous years.
She said the H1N1 virus, also known as "swine flu", struck much earlier this winter season than in previous years, most probably as a result of lower than usual temperatures and higher humidity, affecting people with respiratory problems or chronic health conditions.
The flu toll stood at only 6 up to the end of January, but jumped to 12 in the first three weeks of February, with the latest three deaths occurring within two days.
"They were people who faced health problems for a long time," Koliou said.
She added that a total of 56 people in a serious condition were or are still being treated in hospitals. Among them most were elderly people with multiple underlying chronic health problems.
But there were also deaths involving a 34-year-old healthy man and a 2-year-old child...
"Unusually aggressive" virus, harsh winter to blame for high flu death rate in Cyprus
Source: Xinhua| 2019-02-22 03:35:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan
NICOSIA, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- An "unusually aggressive" type A flu virus and a harsher-than-normal winter in Cyprus are the key factors to be blamed for the high rate of deaths among people affected, a Ministry of Health official told state radio on Thursday.
Maria Koliou, chief of the Infectious Diseases Control section of the Cypriot Ministry of Health, said that the number of deaths, 12 up to now, is much higher compared with previous years.
She said the H1N1 virus, also known as "swine flu", struck much earlier this winter season than in previous years, most probably as a result of lower than usual temperatures and higher humidity, affecting people with respiratory problems or chronic health conditions.
The flu toll stood at only 6 up to the end of January, but jumped to 12 in the first three weeks of February, with the latest three deaths occurring within two days.
"They were people who faced health problems for a long time," Koliou said.
She added that a total of 56 people in a serious condition were or are still being treated in hospitals. Among them most were elderly people with multiple underlying chronic health problems.
But there were also deaths involving a 34-year-old healthy man and a 2-year-old child...