11:35 12.02.2016

Flu, complications kill 273 in Ukraine - Health Ministry

2 min read
Flu, complications kill 273 in Ukraine - Health Ministry

Flu and its complications have killed 273 people in Ukraine during this epidemic season, the Ukrainian Health Ministry has said in a its report.

"According to the operative reports, 273 flu deaths, including four minors younger than 17, have been confirmed by laboratories since the beginning of this epidemic season. Most deaths occurred in Odesa region (40), Kyiv (31), Cherkassy region (17), Donetsk region (19) and Kharkiv region (15). Only a third of the victims timely asked for medical assistance. An analysis of flu deaths showed that all the victims were not inoculated against flu," says the report as of February 12 posted on the Health Ministry's website on Friday.

The Health Ministry said on Tuesday that 246 had died of flue and its complications; the mortality rate stood at 253 on Wednesday and 260 on Thursday.

In total, 152,000 people have been hospitalized in Ukraine since the beginning of this epidemic season with a preliminary cold or flu diagnosis (4.2% of all cold and flu patients), and 65.6% of them were minors younger than 17.

The cold and flu rates exceeded epidemic levels in 15 regions during the fifth week of 2016; the levels were surpassed by more than 50.0% in four regions. The epidemic levels varied from zero, in Poltava region, to -49.0% in Kharkiv region.

Illness rates have grown 46.1% year-on-year in the epidemic season of 2015 - 2016.

As of February 11, classes were suspended in 1,759 children's education, general education and extracurricular establishments.

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