A flu epidemic has been declared in Latvia, which is neighboring Belarus.
This information is being disseminated by local media with reference to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDPC) of the republic.
In turn, the Center points to data from monitoring influenza, coronavirus and other acute upper respiratory tract diseases.
According to this information, over the past week, a “noticeable spread of influenza” has been observed in Latvia.
As Belta writes , in the Riga outpatient network the number of patients with influenza has increased to 107.3 per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks.
Accordingly, the Baltic state has recorded an excess of the threshold (100 cases per 100,000 people), a situation in which an epidemic is declared.
Local experts also report a significant increase in the number of citizens hospitalized with the flu.
In addition, the rate of positive tests at the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory at East University Hospital increased from 2.9% to 10.2%.
According to Latvian experts, since the beginning of the monitoring season, upper respiratory tract diseases have been most frequently registered in children aged 0 to 14 years.
The CDC says that flu is also gaining momentum in other EU countries.
In particular, the average proportion of positive tests there is already 10%, which means that the seasonal flu epidemic has begun outside of Latvia.
Latvian epidemiologists have called on their compatriots to get vaccinated against influenza, especially citizens from risk groups.
