Health ministry confirms 65 cases of swine flue in Ukraine

November09200919:15

Of the 65 confirmed cases of the swine flue, 14 were lethal, head of the health ministry statistics center Mykhailo Holuibchykov said, speaking to journalists on Monday. As of Nov. 6, there were 32 confirmed cases of the swine flue, with 14 leading to the death of patients.

As of today, the swine flue death toll has reached 155 Ukrainians, including 10 pregnant women and 4 children, the official said.

Holubchykov cited past statistics, saying that in 2006 alone 4,020 persons died from the flue and cold in the 9 months, 4,720 in 2007, 4,972 in 2008 and 3,822 over the same 9-month period.

According to the first deputy health minister, Vasyl Lazoryshynets, 969,247 Ukrainians have been or are now sick with all types of flue, including the swine flue, over the past 9 months. The number of persons complaining of the flue has dropped substantially in the last 2 days, he stressed. If 100,000 persons complained of the flue symptoms a day earlier, on Saturday their number was 50,000 and on Sunday 32,000.

The number of Ukrainians treated in hospitals remains high, the official continued, with 48,972 in intensive care and reanimation wards now, 45 to 50 of them using artificial breathing equipment.