Eight Dies of Flu in Georgia
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, January 8
Eight people have died from flu in Georgia over the course of the past four weeks.
More than 140 cases of flu have been reported, 95 percent of the cases were swine flu, influenza caused by a relatively new strain of influenza virus A.
The virus is officially known as the influenza virus A/H1N1.
The Georgian National Disease Control Centre says that is no epidemic of the swine flu in the country as the average admittance to medical institutions because of the symptoms of flu amounts to 221 individuals per 100,000 people.
The most recent victim was a 39-year-old woman from Gori, eastern Georgia, with a heart disease, who left her five children behind.
Georgian Health Minister Davit Sergeenko says there is no risk of a swine flu epidemic in the country.
“Although the flu infection level has increased, there is no reason to panic. There is no risk of an epidemic”, he stated and added that pharmacies are well-stocked with the appropriate medications.
Antiviral medication Tamiflu will be free of charge for pregnant women and socially vulnerable people.
To receive medication free of charge, beneficiaries must visit municipal public health centers, added Sergeenko.
The symptoms of the H1N1 virus are almost the same as the seasonal flu and may involve a cough, fever, sore throat, body and headaches and fatigue.
