Swine flu no longer exceptional, Turkish professor claims

No longer as exceptional as it used to be, the H1N1 virus, colloquially known as the swine flu, has become a common form of seasonal influenza, a professor at Ege University's Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases faculty has claimed. 

According to Professor Ça?r? Büke, most flu cases are examples of seasonal influenza, which is common between the months of October and March, and swine flu makes up two thirds of these cases. 

"Around 10 to 15 percent of the public are likely to be infected with influenza between these months. Some 60 to 70 percent of all these cases will suffer from swine flu," Büke has told Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency, explaining that the H1N1 virus is no longer as exceptional as it once was. "The H1N1 was a brand new virus in 2009. However, since then, it has evolved into a cause of seasonal flu alongside influenza A [H3N2] and influenza B," he stated. 

While there are groups who are more at risk, Büke said others will only experience the illness as a week-long upper respiratory tract infection.

The professor outlined these "risky groups" as pregnant, elderly or obese persons along with those with chronic heart, kidney or lung diseases, diabetes and neuro or cancer patients. 

"Some of the patients who died in Adana and Ni?de were at risk," Büke stated, referring to five swine flu patients who died in the first week of 2016. 

Turkey's Health Minister Mehmet Müezzino?lu likewise explained on Jan. 5 that seven of the eight patients who died of swine flu were part of these risky groups of people with weakened immunities. 

The eight patients who have died so far were from Turkey's Çank?r?, Van, Adana and Ni?de provinces. Five of the patients had chronic illnesses while one was...