Swine flu (H1N1) rising in Russia, Europe

H1N1 Virus

Moscow,: The number of people infected with the pandemic A/H1N1 swine flu virus is on the rise in Russia and Europe, a senior Russian official said.

Russia’s chief sanitary doctor, Gennady Onishchenko, said A-type flu viruses account for about 71 percent of all seasonal flu cases in Europe, and 93 percent of them are swine flu.

“The reports are alarming, they show that the A/H1N1 pandemic virus is on the rise again,” he said.

The number of swine flu cases is on the increase in eight Russian regions, including the densely populated Moscow area. “The situation in other regions is normal,” he said.

The swine flu pandemic claimed over 18,000 lives worldwide last year.

A total of six million Russians were affected by the pandemic during the 2009 flu season of October-December.(IANS/RIA Novosti)