Nearly 60 Cases of H1N1 Recorded in Armenia: What Are the Risks?

The Ministry of Health reports that as of January 14, a total of 1,080 patients have sought medical attention for acute respiratory infections, with 837 citizens receiving treatment in hospitals, 95 percent of whom are children. On the same date, 499 children were observed with acute respiratory infections and were sent home.

According to the Ministry of Health, the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus has been circulating since the 2018-2019 season, first raised as a concern back in November 2018. In Armenia, there have already been two fatalities attributed to the H1N1 virus.

As reported by Armlur.am, Liana Torosyan, head of the Department of Highly Dangerous and Droplet-Infectious Diseases at the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, stated that nearly 60 cases of H1N1 have been registered in the country from January 1 to the present. "The data is constantly changing; as of yesterday, with nearly 600 tests conducted, we have about 60 cases of H1N1. This means it represents about 10 percent. However, we are still dealing with H1N1 in this instance," she added.

The media reports that as of January 14, 16 citizens have died from the H1N1 virus in Georgia. To prevent the spread of swine flu, the border between South Ossetia and Georgia has been closed. However, it seems that our authorities are not discussing the possibility of closing the border with Georgia, raising some concerns. "The pathogen has been circulating since November both here and in Georgia, Russia, and the European region. There is already a circulation in nature; what should we do, close the border? It is a droplet-transmitted disease, and we consider that a pointless measure. That is why all our efforts are focused on early detection and situational assessment of the pathogen's circulation, which is being done at this time. I can cross the border into a confidential area; what should the border crossing point know if I am in a confidential area or not? It is pointless, absolutely pointless. As an epidemiologist and specialist, such measures do not need to be implemented at this time," explained the epidemiologist.

For more information, visit the original source at Armlur.am.