Flu season: No risk of epidemic, health officials say

The Influenza season begins and Georgia’s health officials encourage people to better protect themselves, try to avoid crowded places and see a doctor in case their flu symptoms are severe.

Head of Georgia’s National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) Amiran Gamkrelidze summed up the flu situation in the country at a special press beefing today.

He said the intensity of the seasonal influenza was 248 cases per 100 000 population, which he assessed as "normal” and "not even close to epidemic”.

This numbers meant currently about 8,000 people in Georgia had the flu.

Deputy Dead of NCDC Paata Imnadze said the past years’ dynamics showed the epidemic threshold for Georgia was 500 cases per 100 000 population.

"This means currently we only have half of what we can consider as an epidemic outbreak in winter,” Imnadze said.

He, however, said the number of flu cases could increase in February, but this was normal and nothing to panic about.

The NCDC encouraged people to see a doctor if they have temperature higher than 38°C, accompanied with a headache and other flu symptoms.

The agency called on people with chronic diseases to get rid of crowded places to avoid the flu.