Off the wire
• 1st LD Writethru: Oil prices extend loss amid ample supplies  • Urgent: U.S. dollar rebounds amid mixed jobs data  • Urgent: Oil prices extend loss amid ample supplies  • 1st LD Writethru: Gold up on poor U.S. data  • Lesotho appeals for emergency aid as drought worsens  • UN human rights chief to visit Sri Lanka  • UN Police officer wounded in attack on camp in northern Mali  • Urgent: Gold up on poor U.S. data  • UN chief to visit Canada next week  • Indian airline grounds crew for allowing Bollywood singer to make in-flight performance  
You are here: 　 Home

Number of deaths of flu complications rises to 51 in Greece

Xinhua, February 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

Ten patients died of flu complications this week in Greece, raising the death toll for this season to 51, the Greek Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KEELPNO) announced on Friday.

At the moment, 114 patients are being treated at intensive care units (ICUs) due to complications from the seasonal H1N1 or influenza virus, according to the latest statistics. So far, a total of 233 people have been treated at Greek ICUs since the start of winter.

The rate of flu infection in January and February and the increasing number of fatalities has caused concern among experts who predict that this year the epidemic may be similar to the 2010-2011 season when Greece reported 370 hospitalized cases and 180 deaths.

Epidemiologists call for the immediate vaccination of high risk groups of the population who have neglected to take the flu shot this year.

In addition, experts are pressuring the government to urgently see to it that more beds in intensive care units are made available in public hospitals.

According to KEELPNO data, only 10 patients who were admitted to ICUs had been vaccinated this year.

The Athens Doctors Association also raised the alarm over shortages of beds in ICUs after the death of a middle-aged patient in an Athens public hospital this week who was treated in an ordinary room because there were no available beds in the ICU.

About a quarter of the total of beds in ICUs nationwide are not available because of a shortage of doctors and nurses linked to austerity measures and bureaucracy, the doctors association said. Endit