Region grapples with swine flu

13/11/2009

Public anxiety is rising along with the number of H1N1 cases.

By Natasa Radic for Southeast European Times in Zagreb -- 13/11/09

With an increasing number of cases in the region, authorities in Southeast Europe have been taking steps to control the spread of swine flu. Measures include vaccination campaigns and closing public institutions in order to reduce exposure.

Bulgaria, for instance, has ordered all schools to halt classes until at least November 16th. All hospital visits and regular medical checks for pregnant women and babies have been suspended, and minor surgeries will be postponed until further notice.

Likewise, Serbia's education minister ordered students to add an extra week to their fall vacation, and visits to hospital patients have been curtailed.

Vaccinations are one answer. Turkey says it has already begun an inoculation campaign, starting with health workers and religious pilgrims. Children will be able to get the shot at local clinics.

But efforts elsewhere have been slow to get off the ground. Serbia is awaiting its shipment of the vaccine, which is being provided by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis. The country is slated to receive enough for three million doses by mid-March.

Some countries, such as Albania, have not yet put in a request for the vaccine. According to Albanian authorities, the country has 10,000 doses of Tamiflu in reserve should the flu numbers increase.

But even Tamiflu can be hard to find in some countries. "We just don't have it," a pharmacist in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, told the daily Vijesti.

Meanwhile, the flu-related death toll is rising. While most patients who contract the H1N1 virus recover within days, it can be fatal to some, especially the elderly and small children. Dangers include respiration problems, pneumonia and severe dehydration.

As of this week, Serbia had 258 confirmed cases, with seven fatalities, although doctors say the actual number of infections is exponentially higher. In Croatia, more than 2,000 people have contracted H1N1, including the son of Health Minister Darko Milinovic, and three people have died. The largest number of fatalities has been in Turkey, where flu-related complications have claimed 40 lives.

In Romania, more than 1,100 cases of the virus have been confirmed, with the northeastern city of Iassy hit hardest so far. The government has asked the Cantacuzino Institute, which specialises in producing vaccines, to double the number of available doses from 5 million to 10 million.

A Romanian man living near Salzburg, Austria, succumbed to a heart attack Tuesday after contracting H1N1, in what is being described as the first Romanian fatality related to the disease. In Bulgaria, authorities are reporting 12 deaths from swine flu so far. According to Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Angel Kanchev, there are 634 confirmed cases, and another 1,673 people are being tested.

However, the actual number of swine flu cases is much higher, doctors say. Of the approximately 175,000 Bulgarians who have come down with some form of the flu, the overwhelming majority -- around 90% -- are likely to have contracted H1N1. On November 6th, the country declared a nationwide epidemic.

SETimes correspondents Igor Jovanovic (Belgrade), Harry Tzanis (Athens), Paul Ciocoiu (Bucharest), Svetla Dimitrova (Sofia), Esra Erduran (Istanbul), Manjola Hala (Tirana) and Marina Roganovic (Podgorica) contributed to this story.