“My children were infected with H1N1 before they were vaccinated. Members of my family will be vaccinated when the public vaccination campaign begins. In extended families such as ours, the risk of swine flu is high,” Akdağ said at a press conference held at the Ministry of Health to inform the public about the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu.Eid al-Adha holiday can be prolonged, if necessary
Responding to reporters’ questions on the temporary closure of schools and how long the Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) holiday will last for primary and secondary school students, the minister said the holiday can be extended if doing so is seen as a necessary step and noted that temporary closures will be decided according to expert reports.
He also commented on Ukraine’s request for Turkey to contribute to the Ukrainian fight against H1N1 and underlined that Turkey has taken precautions against the spread of the virus, thereby preventing a situation such as that in Ukraine. “More than half of health personnel have been vaccinated so far as well as the majority of prospective pilgrims [to Mecca]. In December, school students will be vaccinated. Vaccinating at-risk groups is easier than vaccinating the rest of society,” the minister noted and added that 60 percent of people who had died as a result of swine flu had no other illness.
Akdağ said swine flu cases are expected to reach a peak in December and January and decrease later in April. “People who had swine flu and recovered do not need to be vaccinated. It is not clear where the students will be vaccinated. Of course, people who do not want to be vaccinated will not be. This is an individual choice. But it is not right to advise someone in an at-risk group to not be vaccinated.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health on Monday announced that the number of deaths in Turkey from the H1N1 virus had risen to 73. A total of 249 people are receiving treatment in hospitals and of these, 56 are in intensive care.
