Ministry:Flu death rises to 15 in Turkey
The Turkish Health Ministry announced on Wednesday that four more Turks died of influenza A/H1N1 in Turkey, bringing the A/H1N1 flu death toll to 15.
The ministry said in a statement that four people, including two women aged 24 and 31, a 55-year-old man and a five-year-old boy died in several cities of Turkey due to A/H1N1 flu, raising the death toll to 15.
Turkey registered the first A/H1N1 case on May 15. The first victim was a 28-year-old male hospital janitor in Ankara, who died of the A/H1N1 flu on Oct. 24.
As of Sunday, 1,870 people in Turkey had tested positive for A/H1N1 flu since May, according to the statement.
In an interview with CNN Turk on Tuesday, Health Minister Recep Akdag stressed the importance of vaccinations against A/H1N1 flu, saying, “if we protect ourselves and the risk groups with vaccination, then the peak number of infections for January and February will remain lower than expected.”
On Monday, Turkey began to vaccinate vulnerable groups against A/H1N1 flu, starting from health workers and Muslim pilgrims preparing to travel to Mecca for the annual hajj.
