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Thursday, 03.02.2011
Flu epidemic in Russia. Swine flu back.
Moscow. Russia huffs and puffs. In 59 regions the number of people who contracted the flu is way above average. First deaths are being reported. Quite a number of the sick are being diagnosed with the A/H1N1, swine flu virus.
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The kids are delighted: All Moscow Primary schools have been closed since Monday. Half a million students are staying at home. Alexander Rumyantesev, Head Pediatrician in Moscow does not rule out that the quarantine would have to be extended for another week.
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1500 emergency calls every day
Polyclinics extended their opening hours as the queues are enormous:”In the capital the number of ambulances on standby has been increased as over the last days we received over 1500 emergency calls for a pediatrician, stated Rumyabtesev. The number of beds for children in hospitals has been increased by 50 pct and additional respiratory apparatus have been purchased.
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It does not look any better in other large cities. The flu is raging from as far as western Russian city of Pscov to Kamtchatka. In 59 regions it has reached epidemic proportions. We notice an overall increase in the numbers who are falling sick. This week we record an increased infection in all age groups, but the highest number is in children between the ages of 7 and 14 years, told us Russia's chief sanitary doctor Gennady Onishchenko.
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Every fifth infected has swine flu
According to him a fifth of all flu infections can be traced back to the A/H1N1 virus and eight pct are part of the Group B flu virus. However the situation in the regions varies. Moscow, St Petersburg, the area of Kaluga and Lipezk swine flu counts for 30 to 50 pct while Volgograd, Astrachan and the area of the Volga river is dominated by the Group B flu virus.
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This time round we did not get the flu virus from South East Asia but from Europe, stated Onishchenko. The flu epidemic started in Europe already two weeks earlier:” We actively celebrated the New Year abroad and imported this Christmas present from Europe he exclaimed.
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Millions of sick and a number of deaths
The consequences are devastating. Millions of Russians are sick already. Especially in Sibiria a huge number of sick have been reported. According to the Ministry of Health the number of sick in the Novosibirsk region is 360 pct above the epidemic threshold.
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Even deaths. In Lipezk a twelve year old boy died of complications that arouse after having contracted flu. The situation seems to be worst in the area of Nishni Novgorod where 15 deaths have been reported since the beginning of the year.
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