Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 6
By Fatih Karimov- Trend:
At least 22 people lost their lives in recent wave of H1N1 influenza outbreak in Iran, Iranian Health Minister, Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi said.
Some 16 people died from the influenza in the Iranian south eastern province of Kerman, meanwhile the virus claimed six lives in Sistan and Baluchestan province, Ghazizadeh Hashemi said, state IRINN TV reported Dec. 6.
"Each year, influenza takes the lives of several people in Iran, so that we can say this has become a matter of routine."
Earlier Nozar Nakhaei, vice-rector of the Kerman Medical University said that the H1N1 infection cases in Iran are expected to increase this year.
Nakhaei believes that educational activity is needed to be carried out among the population in order to prevent swine flu cases.
The first case of swine flu was reported in Iran on June 14, 2009.
The same year it was reported that swine flu killed 285 in Iran, while the number of infected reached 3,762.