Bulgaria declares national flu epidemic

"At this moment, 210 per 10,000 Bulgarians have flu infections," said the Ministry's press office. A national epidemic must be declared when the rate reaches 200 per 10,000.

Starting from Monday, all schools in the country will have a five-day flu vacation. In addition, all surgeries are to be postponed and visiting hospital patients forbidden.

The Ministry of Health also suggests limiting public events such as concerts but has not made this compulsory.

It was up to the local authorities to decide on a flu vacation in universities and kindergartens in their towns, the Ministry said.

More than 15 Bulgarian districts have so far declared a local flu epidemic. Among them is the biggest city in the country Sofia, where about a quarter of the population lives, and Varna, Gabrovo and Stara Zagora.

The Ministry of Health officially reported six flu-related deaths. The last one, a 53-year-old man, had sought medical help too late and died in Sofia on Thursday, said the chief state health expert Tencho Tenev. The first Bulgarian victim of the flu died on September 30 at the Lozenets hospital in Sofia.

It was not clear when the A/H1N1 flu wave would peak in Bulgaria because its spread was not uniform across all regions, said health experts on Monday. However they expected it could be in the next four to eight weeks.

Approximately 2,500-3,000 people contracted flu in Bulgaria each year, Chief Epidemiologist Angel Kunchev said.