Viruses

Bulgaria has confirmed a new case of African swine fever in a wild boar near in the northeastern town of Devnya, the national food safety authority said on Wednesday.

African swine fever is a highly contagious disease that affects pigs and wild boar. It does not affect humans.

A 5-year-old girl who died in the emergency room of Iraklio General Hospital on the island of Crete in the early hours of Monday morning after being transferred there with a high fever has been attributed to the H1N1 flu virus.

Greek authorities have urged the public to adhere to influenza transmission prevention strategies including respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, avoidance of closed crowded spaces and getting a flu jab to rein in the spread of the disease.

Romania is facing a flu epidemic, as the flu activity has continued for the third straight epidemic week, Health Minister Sorina Pintea said on Wednesday, adding that the circulation of the influenza virus will be intense in February too.

Montana district is the latest to declare flu epidemic as of 29th of January. Schools cancelled classes until 4th of February, reports BNT. 

Thus, 24 districts out of 28 in total have declared flu epidemic.

Nearly 1,400 schools in the country have been closed because of the flu.

According to Bulgaria's minister of health the flu season will peak this week.

The flu epidemic in the region is cancelled after a significant decrease in acute respiratory infections last week, the Regional Health Inspectorate said. Between January 21 and 27, the rate stood at 229.62 per 10,000, with a continuing downward trend in the last two days. All measures during the flu epidemic in Stara Zagora are now cancelled.

A flu epidemic has been declared in the Sliven region, effective as of January 23, in view of the increased flu and acute respiratory infections between January 14 and 20, the regional administration said. Planned surgeries, hospital visits as well as consultations for pregnant women and infants are suspended, along with preventive examinations and vaccinations.

It is increasingly unlikely Ebola virus had caused the death of a British national in Macedonia, Macedonian news agency MIA reported on Saturday.

One public hospital, the Amalia Fleming in northern Athens, has been put on standby to deal with an Ebola outbreak in Greece while medical specialists have been dispatched to the country’s main entry points in a bid to contain possible arrival of the deadly disease, authorities said Friday.

Macedonia's Health Ministry has not confirmed a case of a death caused by the Ebola virus disease in the country.

On Thursday, Macedonian and international media outlets reported that a British national had died of suspected Ebola at a clinic in Skopje and second British national had also been reported to have shown symptoms of the virus.