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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Southwestern Bulgaria and Sofia declare flu epidemic

Via The Sofia Echo :

" Regions in southwest Bulgaria have declared a flu epidemic because of the drastic rise in cases of people suffering from respiratory problems, Dnevnik daily reported on January 18 2011.The city of Blagoevgrad, and the town of Petrich near the Koulata-Promachon border crossing point with Greece, have both declared a flu epidemic.

This will come into effect on January 19 2011.Those most affected by the strain are children aged 5-14, followed by youngsters aged 15-29. Pupils who are not attending school at the moment on account of illness currently account for 18-22 per cent of the total number, depending on the institution. Schools have taken necessary "preemptive and preventative measures", but will not shut doors because of the epidemic, regardless.

The report does not mention the H1N1 strain, otherwise known as swine flu in this particular case, although cases of swine flu are not excluded. It is believed that the main culprit in Blagoevgrad and Petrich is the seasonal winter flu, which, according to medical officials, was expected to peak in Bulgaria in the second half of January."

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