Ukraine has seen more than 3.2 million cold and flu cases this epidemic season, from September 28, 2015, through February 1, 2016, including 176 deaths, the Health Ministry press service said on Tuesday.

"According to operative data, Ukraine has registered over 3.2 million cold and flu cases this epidemic season (28.09.2015 - 01.02.2016), and more than 8.3% of the population have been sick…There is operative data on 176 flu deaths, confirmed by laboratories this epidemic season, among them two minors younger than 17 years old, and one pregnant woman. Twenty-two were killed by atypical flu virus A, two by flu virus B, and 152 by flu virus H1N1 (pdm09)," the ministry reported.

Most deaths were reported from the Odesa region (34), the Vinnitsa region (13), the Zaporizhia region (12), the Rivne region (11) and Kyiv (11).

Minors younger than 17 years old make up 62.8% of all patients.

The rate of illness has grown 41.4% year-on-year in the epidemic season of 2015-2016.