A/H1N1 flu diagnosed in 70 Russian regions last week

Moscow, February 2 (Itar-Tass) A/H1N1 flu was diagnosedin 70 Russian regions last week, the Federal Consumer Rightsand Human Well Being Service said.

The A/H1N1 flu rate doubled since the previous week, andthe flu strain was diagnosed in 70 regions instead of 46earlier, the service said yesterday.

"Some 31.5% of cold and flu patients had flu from January24 through January 30, including 20.8% of A/H1N1, 1.7% ofA/H3N2 and 8% of B," the service said.

The largest number of A/H1N1 flu cases was registered inthe Altai territory, St Petersburg and the Kaluga region. Thepandemic A/H1N1-09 prevails in the Central, Urals, Siberianand Far Eastern federal districts, while the B virus isreported from the Southern and Volga federal districts. Bothvirus have an equal percentage in the Northwestern FederalDistrict.

Russian Chief Public Health Official Gennady Onishchenkosaid in late January that school principals were free tosuspend classes amid the cold and flu epidemic.

Primary and secondary school classes in Moscow weresuspended for a week starting from January 31 due to the highcold and flu rate in the city, city education departmentspokesman Alexander Gavrilov said, referring to therecommendation from Moscow Chief Public Health OfficialNikolai Filatov.

"The cold and flu rate in Moscow grew by 1.5 times in theweek from January 17 through 23, and 57.2% of the patients arechildren," he said.

"The cold and flu rate is the highest amongstschoolchildren; it is 42.6% higher than the epidemicthreshold," he added. (Itar-Tass)