The National Center for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases announced that between January 21 and 27, over 80,000 people were diagnosed with respiratory infections and flu in Romania. Fortunately, there were no casualties during the week. This was 10.5 percent more than in the previous week, and 2.5 percent more than in the same week in 2012.

During the same week, the number of flu cases was limited  and sporadic. So far have been a total of four deaths, of which two were confirmed due to the flu, namely the one on January 19, in Cluj county, and the one on January 9, in  Bistrita-Nasaud. From the beginning of the season of acute respiratory infections and until January 29, 37 cases of flu were confirmed, of which 25 were type AH1, four were AH3 and eight were type B.

In Bistrita-Nasaud, a 55-year old woman, who had the flu shot in December last year, died on January 9 after being hospitalized with broncho-pneumonia at the Bistrita County Emergency Hospital. Another death was registered in Buzau County, in the case of 37-year old obese person, where doctors confirmed  the presence of the "coronavirus 229 E".

So far this winter, over 720,000 Romanians in high risk categories have had the flu shot from the Ministry of Health.

Ioana Toader, ioana.toader@romania-insider.com 

 (photo source: photoxpress.com)