Wave of New Swine Flu Cases in Lapland
Some 30 new cases of the H1N1 virus have been confirmed in Lapland during the past week. Markku Broas, a specialist of infectious diseases at Lapland Central Hospital, says most of the ill persons are from the Rovaniemi area.
A few cases were also reported in Sodankylä. However Broas says that Rovaniemi is suffering from a swine flu epidemic.
”All the signs show that the illness is now spreading. At this stage, however, it is very difficult to estimate how quickly this will spread and how it will be transmitted,” says Markku Kuusi, a senior medical officer at the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
Kuusi adds that up to one million Finns could catch the swine flu.
“There can be several waves of people falling ill,” says Kuusi.
Meanwhile, a travel ban instituted on the Sodankylä Brigade was cancelled on Monday. Between 40 and 50 people at the brigade are thought to have caught swine flu so far.
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