Minister says Ukraine flu epidemic to create emergency in Hungary

By: MTI

2009-11-02 11:05

There is no flu epidemic in Hungary but the epidemic in Ukraine may create an emergency situation, the health minister said on public television late on Sunday.

"There is a very rapid and virulent virus in Ukraine; the number of patients multiplies overnight and this creates an emergency situation in Hungary because the virus will not stop at the border," Tamas Szekely said.

Previously, the virus was expected to arrive in Hungary from the west and south, the minister said. Currently there is no epidemic in Hungary, he added.

Last week, around 14,600 people reported to suffer from flu-like symptoms, less than the week before. An epidemic is declared when the number of new cases reaches 20,000 a week.

Chief medical officer Ferenc Falus said that so far the demand for new flu vaccination had been low. At the same time, there is a vaccine and medicine shortage in Ukraine and Hungary is ready to help, he added.

Hungary has already offered to take care of the vaccination of Ukrainian border guards and customs officers working at the border with Hungary, Falus said.

The Hungarian Red Cross has also offered to help, supplying masks and medicine to eastern Ukraine, home to an ethnic Hungarian community.

A Szonda Ipsos survey released on Sunday shows that 73 percent of Hungarians do not wish to get vaccinated against the new flu. The 18 to 39 age group is most averse to vaccination, with 86 percent of people rejecting it.

According to the survey carried out by phoning 500 people on October 30, some 27 percent of those who reject vaccination said they feared its side effects more than the flu itself. Some 23 percent said they were generally against vaccinations and 21 percent said they would not be infected anyway.