Health minister says swine flu cases down in Turkey

Turkey's health minister said Tuesday swine flu infections have petered out in the country.

At his meeting with Saudi Arabia's health minister in Ankara, Recep Akdag told reporters that the pandemic has killed over 600 people in Turkey this winter.

The number of deaths caused by swine flu was 415 in Turkey as of mid-December when health ministry officials last announced number of deaths.

"However, it (swine flu pandemic) has almost petered out in Turkey," Akdag said.

First case of pandemic H1N1 influenza, known as swine flu, was detected in Turkey in October 2009. Turkey purchased millions of doses of swine flu vaccines from multinational drug companies and launched a mass vaccination program after the number of cases surged in a couple of weeks.

Though swine flu cases declined, Akdag said, "we still recommend at-risk people, including pregnant women, heart and lung patients and people who have chronic diseases, to be vaccinated."

/World Bulletin/