Pakistan : Swine flu has claimed 49 lives in three years’

Via The News, excerpt :

" As many as 49 people have died so far due to H1N1 Influenza, commonly known as swine flu, since 2009.

Some 739 people have tested positive in the last three years in Pakistan with 12 losing their life to the fatal disease this year.

Older people, those who travel frequently abroad, nurses, paramedical staff and pregnant women are at higher risk of contracting influenza; therefore, they should get themselves vaccinated against the disease every year.

This was stated by Dr Salma Kausar Ali, Manger National Programme for Prevention and Control of Avian and Pandemic Influenza, while speaking at the launching ceremony of an awareness campaign for journalists at a local hotel on Thursday.

The pulmonologist maintained that elderly people — from 50 to 64 years of age — were one of the most vulnerable groups who could easily get infected by the influenza virus and could also develop respiratory tract complications."