TIRANA, Feb. 4 – Seasonal flu has reached a record number of Albanian residents this year, doctors say.
With more than 16,000 being reported so far, family physicians in Tirana are urging caution against neglecting influenza symptoms because they can lead to dangerous complications, particularly for children and the elderly.
Flu symptoms include high and sudden fever, muscle aches and cough.
Arjan Bregu, chair of the Institute of Public Health, said on Monday that seasonal flu in Albania has reached epidemic level.
The flu viruses going around Albania are AH1N1 and AH3N2. There is a vaccine available to counter them, but it can only protect if one has not yet had the flu.
These are not the more deadly bird or swine flu variants, but doctors urge caution nonetheless.
In addition, 13 suspected cases of swine flu were reported on Tuesday in the city of Fier in central Albania, according to local media.
While there was no official confirmation as of press time, the chief of the emergency ward in the Regional Hospital of Fier, Novruz Caushaj, told a local television station that the patients developed symptoms similar to swine flu and three of them have been taken to the capital city of Tirana for treatment.
In the meantime, the other ten patients are treated with medicines used for swine flu. So far, no case of swine flu has been confirmed in Albania this year.
