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16 swine flu deaths in 15 months: Turkish health official

Xinhua, March 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

A total of 16 people have died from swine flu since January 2014 in Turkey, a Turkish health official said on Tuesday, but ruled out a swine flu outbreak in the country.

The flu season would be over by the end of March, Under Secretary of Health Ministry Eyup Gumus said at a press conference.

The official did not consider the situation as an epidemic and said there was an increase in the number of sick people since early 2015 because of seasonal cold.

There were 812 positive cases in 2012-2013, but the number had decreased to 17 in 2013-2014, he said, noting that they have diagnosed 170 cases in 2015.

The cases were mainly detected in southern provinces Antalya and Mersin, northwestern provinces of Bursa, Canakkale, Kocaeli, central Anatolian province Sivas, and northern Samsun, said the official. Endit