Flu epidemic spreading in Lithuania and Latvia

  • 2017-01-25
  • BNS/TBT Staff

RIGA - The influenza epidemic in Latvia claimed the lives  for four more people last week, according to the monitoring data of the Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

The latest flu deaths have brought the death toll of this season’s epidemic to seven. According to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the flu victims had been suffering from cardiovascular, respiratory, renal and other chronic conditions. All this season’s flu victims were more than 70 years old.

Also, 136 flu patients were admitted to hospitals last week. Most of them, or 116 people were hospitalized with flu and 20 patients were admitted to hospitals with flu-induced pneumonia. Altogether, 416 flu patients have been hospitalized since the beginning of this flu season.

Of the patients who tested positive for influenza last week, 161 were diagnosed with type the flu and 21 with type B flu.

Family physicians reported 151 new flu cases last week, with the highest flu incidence recorded in Jelgava in central Latvia.

The Center for Disease Prevention and Control announced the beginning of the flu epidemic in Latvia last week. 

The number of flu cases is continuing to spread in Lithuania, with influenza epidemic declared in 11 of the country's 60 municipalities.

As of Wednesday, an epidemic has been declared in Kaunas, Klaipeda, and Panevezys of the biggest cities.

Last week, Lithuania's overall flu and acute upper respiratory tract infection incidence rate reached 123.5 per population of 10,000, up from 79.2 in the same period last year.