246 Die in Ukraine Flu Epidemic
KYIV – 246 people have died of influenza in Ukraine since the outbreak of the epidemic in late December, reported the Ukrainian health ministry on Tuesday.
The ministry stated on its website that according to recent data, there have been 246 confirmed deaths from influenza.
The highest number of deaths, 40, occurred in the Odessa region in the south.
The health ministry said that since the beginning of the winter season there have been 3.5 million cases of influenza and other infectious respiratory diseases.
This represents 8.9 percent of the Ukrainian population.
According to the Center for Disease Control, flu is epidemic in 15 of the 24 regions of the country, and in total, 14,500 people have been hospitalized, with 4 percent becoming ill.