Albania on brink of swine flu pandemic

TIRANA, Aug 31 – Local health authorities believe that the country is on the brink of a swine flu pandemic and called on the people to be careful, also telling them vaccines would likely come to the country by October.
Albania’s health authorities said the total number of patients affected by the virus has risen to 30, with a couple in serious health conditions.
Only a few of them have been hospitalized.
There has been an issue of concern after people learnt from the local media that the country probably lacked the necessary financial means to cope with the swine flu pandemic, expressing hope that international donors would step in.
The Albanian authorities are bracing for the flu season in the autumn, which could bring a significant rise in the number of swine flu cases. No virus-related fatalities have yet been reported.
Swine flu is spreading faster than any previous pandemic, the WHO warned recently. The virus has been spreading rapidly across the Balkan region, with Serbia and Romania the worst hit and the number of infected people with the new flu is constantly increasing in Albania too.