Reports brought by TV JOJ on November 4 that a one-year-old boy from Bratislava had died from A(H1N1) flu are not true, Health Ministry spokesperson Zuzana Čižmáriková told the TASR newswire on November 5.
“We'll provide more information at a press briefing,” said Čižmáriková. According to the TV channel, the little boy died at home in Bratislava's Old Town. The boy's death raised particular suspicion in light of the fact that his father reportedly returned home from Ukraine several days ago. More than 80 people have recently died of flu in Ukraine, with a portion of the deaths blamed on A(H1N1) virus.
The epidemiological situation in Slovakia is relatively favourable and is in line with the incidence of flu every year, Slovakia's chief public health officer Ivan Rovný said at a press conference on November 5.
Health Minister Richard Raši, who also appeared at the press conference, chided the media, which he claimed are doing more harm than good. Both officials urged people to undergo influenza vaccination, as the incidence of flu is expected to rise at the turn of January and February. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
