Number Of H1N1 Patients Drop In Hungary, But 1st Wave Of Epidemic Is Not Over

Between 28 Dec and 3 Jan, 10,700 patients sought medical help with H1N1 symptoms. The number of patients with such symptoms was growing between early November and mid-Dec, but it has been dropping gradually ever since. There is "only" 107 infected in every 100,000 people in Hungary. The activity rate of the virus is the highest in Budapest, with 200-500 people in every 100,000 infected.

A total of 59 fatalities directly linked to the H1N1 virus have been recorded in the country.

Falus said the first wave of the epidemic is not over, since many employees were on holiday at the end of the year and even if they fell ill, they did not necessarily go to the doctor. And school was also out, he noted. If patient numbers decline further over the next two weeks, we can be fairly certain that the first wave of the new flu epidemic is over, Falus told index.hu.

The newest data also indicate a change in the most affected age groups. While 80% of patients turning to GPs with H1N1-like symptoms were below 35 years of age, this ratio has dropped to 62% by now. Meanwhile, the new flu infected more people over 60. These ratios tend to characterise seasonal flu outbreaks.

There are no exact data as to how many people have received new flu shots, but Falus estimates the national vaccination rate at about 25%, which places Hungary in the top four in the European Union.

Falus urged everyone to get vaccination against the H1N1 virus, saying the second wave of the epidemic will definitely hit. He believes it will arrive in Hungary between the second half of January and end-March.

The end of the epidemic is nowhere in sight, he said. A global epidemic may be considered to be over when at least 70% of the population gets over the infection or receives vaccination, "but we are still very far from that point".

Source: Portfolio Online Financial Journal