Dinara Otorbaeva, head of the Department of Disease Prevention and State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance of Kyrgyzstan, commented on the epidemiological situation regarding acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) and influenza on the air of Birinchi Radio.
According to her, the flu season begins in the second half of November and lasts until the end of January.
Since the second half of November, cases of influenza A/H3N2 (known as the Hong Kong flu) have been registered in the country, and over the past week another strain — influenza A/H1N1 (swine flu) — has joined it. There are also sporadic cases of influenza B and COVID-19.
More than 70 percent of those infected are children under 14, which has led to the temporary closure of some kindergartens and a switch to online learning in certain schools.
«If the population adheres to basic sanitary measures (wearing masks and self-isolation when ill), we can reduce the incidence. This is especially important for people with chronic diseases, who are at risk of complications. It is crucial to seek medical help in time, especially when small children are sick — they cannot fully tell about their symptoms,» Dinara Otorbaeva said.
It should be noted that 42,500 cases of ARVI and influenza were officially registered in Kyrgyzstan over the past week.
