Till Friday (Dec. 11) morning, 42 people had died of swine flu in the country, according to Mohammad Mehdi Gouya, director-general of communicable diseases at the Health Ministry’s Disease Control and Prevention Center.
The distribution of oseltamivir, an influenza antiviral medication, has begun in all provinces, and will be provided with a doctor’s prescription, said Rasoul Dinarvand, head of the Food and Drug Administration, on Friday.
The outbreak of swine flu was reported two weeks ago in Kerman and Sistan-Baluchistan provinces. By late Monday, the death toll in Kerman Province climbed to 28.
Health Minister Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi who visited Kerman on Thursday, said the disease is under control, allaying concerns on the spread of the epidemic nationwide, ILNA reports.
“Every year 20% of the population falls sick due to influenza; however, it is seen that those who succumb are the ones who usually suffer from other ailments, and not necessarily due to influenza,” he pointed out.
“The youngest victim of swine flu was a 29-year-old Kermani who was already suffering from AIDS,” he added.
Hashemi also assured that there is no shortage of medicine or hospital beds to take care of the affected.
“Flu is a common disease in the cold seasons, and it may spread to other provinces as well, so we urge the people to attend to personal hygiene and visit a doctor as soon as symptoms of fever or acute shortness of breath appear,” he stressed.
