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Chile confirms 33 deaths from H1N1

11 July 2013 04:38 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Chile's Ministry of Health Wednesday confirmed that 33 people have died so far this year from the H1N1 Influenza A virus, with 12 of them in recent weeks due to an outbreak in the country's northern Tarapaca region, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Despite the deaths, Health Minister Jaime Manalich said the outbreak is under control.

"Today it appears to be under control, I say this with extreme caution. In epidemiologic week number 27, we do not have serious new cases," Manalich said at a press conference.

"We just have three patients with the flu in the intensive care unit of the hospital of the town of Iquique," said Manalich, adding "walk-in consultations due to the flu have fallen 25 percent from what we had before."

The H1N1 outbreak in northern Chile coincided with the appearance of other seasonal flus during South America's winter season, alarming the general public and sparking a massive vaccination campaign.

The average number of flu infections in the northern desert region has been much higher than the rest of the country where there is a national average of 25 annual cases against 160 cases in Tarapaca.