Seasonal flu infection level increases in Georgia

The amount of patients applying hospitals with flu symptoms have increased in the second week of January, announced the Head of National Disease Control Centre, Amiran Gamkrelidze today.

Gamkrelidze said that the morbidity rate of seasonal influenza is 219 in 100,000 people.

The flu season lasts until the end of March, or, maybe, until the mid-April, so we should not distract”, said Gamkrelidze.

The number of patients treated in the hospitals with severe respiratory infections has increased from 22 to 25,3 percent.

The Georgian Health Ministry announced that pregnant women and members of vulnerable groups will receive the antiviral medication Tamiflu free of charge with a doctor’s prescription.

Gamkrelidze said that the best method of protection is vaccination. 96,900 individuals have already been vaccinated and there is sufficient supply of the vaccine.