Eight flu fatalities reported in Latvia last week

RIGA - Eight flu fatalities were reported in Latvia last week.

All but one of those flu patients had other chronic diseases, the Center for Disease Prevention and Control said.

Altogether 31 people have died from flu in the current season. The average age of those flu fatalities is 67 years. None of them had been vaccinated against flu.

Flu intensity has started receding in Latvia and dropped 5.6 percent last week to 293 flu cases per 100,000 population.

Nevertheless, new flu cases were reported in all ten largest cities in Latvia monitored by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control last week. The highest flu intensity was observed in Daugavpils and Rezekne in eastern Latvia.

The flu epidemic in Latvia began on January 30 when the number of flu patients in Daugavpils rose above the epidemic threshold of 100 flu cases per 100,000 population.