Death toll from flu, pneumonia in Ukraine rises to 567, says health ministry

Kyiv, December 22 (Interfax-Ukraine) –

The number of those who have died of flu and flu-like illnesses in Ukraine has increased to 567 as of late on December 22, including 11 who have died over the last 24 hours, the Ukrainian Health Ministry has reported.

The greatest number of flu patients – five people – died in Donetsk region.

The epidemic threshold was exceeded in 20 regions, Kyiv and Sevastopol.

A relatively favorable epidemic situation is being observed only in Ivano-Frankivsk region.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, over 3.241 million people have contracted flu and respiratory infections, including 118,730 people over the past 24 hours.

A total of 181,597 people have been hospitalized since the start of the epidemic (October 29). Of those hospitalized, 145,691 people have been discharged from hospitals.

The ministry publishes no separate statistics on cases of A/H1N1 influenza or swine flu.


http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/55710/

So what is making this particular strain of "flu" more virulent in the Ukraine ala Mexico?

Tin foil hat on - it has to be genetically engineered/altered in some way or else there must be a homogenous population that lacks the genetic ability to fight off this particular virus.

It just doesn't make any sense that this particular strain can be so lethal in those places and yet so mild in others, does it?

I know we saw some of this in the early days of avian influenza if you recall. Some folks got really sick and some only mildly so and then whammmooo! We started to see folks die and die in droves. But avian influenza (pardon the pun) never really grew wings and flew.

Just my two cents!

I agree with you BB, there must be more going on here than what we are seeing. I just hope it doesn't decide to come over here. I have wondered if it has recombined with some Avian genes and they just aren't saying? JMHO