No swine flu cases, Zika virus diagnosed in Azerbaijan
By Amina Nazarli
Although many neighboring countries have faced tense epidemiological situation since December 2015, Azerbaijan has not reported any cases of swine flu so far.
This remark was made by Deputy Director of the Republican Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology under the Health Ministry Afag Aliyeva at a press conference on the epidemiological situation in the country and preventive activities on February 4.
Aliyeva noted that the current situation requires mobilization of forces and resources for the implementation of preventive and curative measures.
“Only during this January, some 300 samples were taken for analysis from suspected patients. The analysis did not revealed H1N1 virus. In most cases the analyses reveal seasonal influenza (H3N2),” she said.
She further informed the reporters about the disinfection procedures conducted in 417 schools and preschools of four big cities, including Baku, Sumgayit, Ganja and Mingachevir during January.
Aliyeva also dismissed reports about swine flu outbreak in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
Touching upon the mosquito-transmitted Zika virus, threatening mainly pregnant women and leading to cases of babies being born with abnormally small heads, Aliyeva said that there are zero chances of the virus to reach Azerbaijan.
“The virus is mainly spread in Brazil. The carrier of the virus, mosquito species Aedes aegypti, is not found in Azerbaijan," she said.
Meanwhile, Suleyman Mammadov, head of parasitology department at the Republican Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology announced that Azerbaijan is moving towards malaria elimination.
The country can soon get a certificate approving that it got rid of this infectious disease, he told Day.az , adding that Azerbaijan plans to apply to the WHO for the certificate this year.
“For several years the country does not report any cases of malaria. Only one imported case of tropical malaria was detected in the country in 2015. The citizen was infected with malaria in Cameroon and arrived in Azerbaijan, where the disease manifested itself later,” he said.
Today the Azerbaijani Health Ministry conducts extensive work towards the total eradication of this disease.
According to the Republican Hygiene and Epidemiology Center two cases of malaria were revealed in the country in 2012. One person was infected in Africa, and the second within the country. In 2013, in turn, four cases were detected and all of the infected picked up the tropical malaria outside Azerbaijan.
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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
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