At least 34 cases of swine flu have been registered in Kyrgyzstan since October. The Department of Disease Prevention and State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance of the Ministry of Health reported.
According to it, there are three types of influenza virus: A, B and C. They differ in their structure and cause diseases of varying severity. Type A virus causes the most severe forms of influenza (unlike types B and C, which are more easily tolerated by humans).
An epidemic rise in incidence has been observed since November, the peak of incidence occurs at the end of January and February.
«From October to the current time, a total of 764 samples were examined from patients who turned for medical care in sentinel hospitals, of which 27.2 percent (34) were positive for influenza A / H1N1 (swine flu), influenza B — 44.8 percent (56),» the department said.
The department recalled that influenza A / H1N1 is an infectious acute respiratory disease of pigs caused by one of several swine influenza A viruses.
«Typically, its clinical symptoms are similar to those of seasonal influenza, but the reported clinical picture varies widely, from asymptomatic infection to severe pneumonia. Because the typical clinical presentation of influenza A (H1N1) infection in humans is similar to that of seasonal influenza and other acute upper respiratory tract infections, most cases are discovered incidentally during seasonal influenza surveillance. The virus is transmitted to humans by airborne droplets,» the department added.
