cypriot flu — The death toll from Cyprus’s ongoing influenza epidemic has reached 13 following the death of a 54-year-old man at a private hospital, health officials confirmed on Tuesday.
- cypriot flu — The death toll from Cyprus’s ongoing influenza epidemic has reached 13 following the death of a 54-year-old man at a private hospital, health officials confirmed on Tuesday.
Dr Elizabeth Constantinou, the Acting Director General of the Ministry of Health, highlighted that while the majority of fatalities involve elderly patients over 80 with underlying health conditions, this latest death indicates a troubling trend of the virus affecting younger victims.
In a concerning development, six of the 13 deaths were reported in the last few days alone—five during the weekend and one on Monday. Dr Constantinou remarked that the current level of fatalities is significantly higher than at the same time last year. Although the 54-year-old victim is regarded as an exception to the trend of older fatalities, the Ministry is awaiting final confirmation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ascertain if influenza was the primary cause of death in these recent cases.
Despite the rising death toll, officials expressed “cautious optimism” that the epidemic may have peaked. Epidemiological data indicates a slight decline in new infections and hospital admissions, suggesting that the height of the outbreak could be behind us. Nevertheless, the healthcare system remains under considerable strain, with both public and private hospitals grappling with a surge in respiratory infections.
Vaccination efforts have seen a strong public response, with over 145,000 of the 160,000 available doses of the flu vaccine already administered. In stark contrast, the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine has been “very low,” attributed to widespread public hesitancy following the pandemic.
Dr Constantinou urged those in high-risk groups who have not yet been vaccinated to take action promptly. A pattern has emerged of a second, smaller wave of infections typically occurring between mid-February and early March.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reports that the effectiveness of this year’s flu vaccine stands at over 55%. Though this is slightly lower than the usual 65% due to a specific sub-strain of the virus, officials assert that the vaccine remains an essential tool for preventing severe illness.
