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Flu strikes 100,000 Swedes in one week

Published: 2 Mar 12 06:47 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/39436/20120302/

Many Swedes are still suffering from influenza, as the number of reported cases set another record high this week compared to the previous.

“And these are just the tested cases, those that have sought medical help. But we measure this regularly and it’s therefore possible to compare this figure to the previous weeks’,” said Anders Wallenstein, specialist at the Swedish Institute for Communicable Disease Control, (Smittskyddsinstitutet, SMI).

Last week 548 identified new cases of flu were reported in Sweden, compared to 416 the week before.

This is yet again the highest number of reported cases since the first time the number was measured in 1993.

Last week, state epidemiologist Annika Linde told news agency TT that an estimatied 100,000 Swedes were sick with flu during the week of February 12th.

According to Wallenstein this number has most likely risen since last week.

Although the influenza seems fairly evenly spread across the country, this week it has been hitting hardest in the area around Umeå in northern Sweden, as well as on the west coast and in Skåne, in the southernmost part of the country.

Experts believe that the number of people contracting flu will still be rising for a few more weeks although perhaps not as rapidly.

“If you belong to a risk group it may still be an idea to get vaccinated as the increase is so intense right now,” said Wallenstein to TT.

TT/The Local/rm (news@thelocal.se)

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08:58 March 2, 2012 by Dazzler
PANIC!!! Yes, go get your vaccination, the drug companies are losing profits!
09:48 March 2, 2012 by EP
Week of February 12th, wasn't that skiing week?
11:10 March 2, 2012 by SimonDMontfort
I thought the standard advice for treating flu was to take plenty of rest and drink plenty of water, but perhaps I'm living in the past
12:22 March 2, 2012 by RobinHood
@Simon

Good advice once you get sick.

Before you get sick, vaccination is a reasonabley effective preventative for the most common flu varieties. Its efficacy varies with your age, and condition, but if you fall pregnant, or become very old, you would be mad not to get vaccinated. There are some serious side effects, but they are very rare. You stand much more chance of dying of influnza (250 000 to 500 000 a year globally) than suffering a serious side effect.
14:25 March 2, 2012 by mamegoma
My friend who is a nurse told me that you should only really get the flu shot if you are in a high risk group (elderly, children, pregnant, other medical complications which could make getting the flu worsen, etc..), as RobinHood said. Though I don't find it necessary and I have never taken a flu shot and have never had the flu.
17:16 March 2, 2012 by Paul Greer
Never a flu shot, never a proper 'flu, but this year a double-pneumonia and acute laryngitis that's left me voiceless for 2 weeks and now I'm somewhere 'twixt Leonard Cohen and Bengt Magnusson. Bummer.
23:05 March 2, 2012 by BillyB
of course this has nothing to do with school holidays and people calling a sickie to get the week off...that's just a coincidence..
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