SARAJEVO, Feb.27 (Xinhua)-- A total of eight people have died of flu in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) over the last two months, FBiH Public Health Institute (ZZJZ FBiH) confirmed to local media on Tuesday.
"The greatest number of registered deaths have had some chronic illnesses, mostly unvaccinated or of unknown vaccine status," FBiH Public Health Institute explained further.
From the beginning of flu season, a total of 19,632 people with flu-like symptoms have been reported to hospitals in BiH, ZZJZ FBiH, a government body responsible for all the public health services in BiH said.
That the situation in BiH is not alarming is explained by the epidemiologist in the FBiH Public Health Institute, claiming that after the analysis of the last four flu seasons is done, the results showed similar situation, but a lower number of death cases caused by the flu.
"I would not say that the situation is alarming. Every year, 10, 11 or 8 cases are registered and connected with flu-like symptoms as it is the case this season in the Federation of BiH, one of the entities in BiH," an epidemiologist, Mirsada Mulaomerovic, told local media.
In this flu season, two deaths caused by swine flu (H1N1) were registered in BiH, one in Zenica cantonal hospital, some 70 kilometers northwest of the capital Sarajevo. The other case was registered in Tuzla University Clinical Center, some 120 kilometers northeast of Sarajevo.
The flu season usually begins in December, with the largest number of people infected registered in January and February.
"I would not be surprised to see the second wave of flu, this form of flu virus, that is A H1N1, or some other type, will dominate. The only preventive form is vaccination,"an expert in infectious diseases, Jurica Arapovic, told local media.
Due to the increased number of flu cases in Sarajevo, Sarajevo University Clinical Center Intrahospital Infection Commission decided to suspend visits to patients hospitalized there, an official press statement said Tuesday.
