Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 is circulating in Armenia, health authorities warned Wednesday.
Doctors are calling on everyone displaying flu-like symptoms to seek medical advice immediately.
The Ministry of Healthcare Infectious Disease Advisor Narine Sargsyants said at a press briefing that other subtypes of the flu are also circulating, as well as the coronavirus.
“If we look at the average-severity flu, we see that it has an acute onset, is characterized with fever somewhere between 38-39 degrees, strong headaches, joint pain and malaise. The malaise is maintained for a long time even after recovering,” Sargsyants said.
The Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 is mostly seen in children.
Ministry of Healthcare Pediatrics Advisor Sergey Sargsyan said they often diagnose otitis in children with H1N1. “In my practice of over several decades I’ve never seen anything like this, almost every second [ child patient] has otitis. It changes the clinical picture, in some cases it complicates and prolongs the course of the disease. In some cases it forces us to prescribe antibiotics,” Sargsyan said. In many cases the parents of the children delay seeking medical advice. Sargsyan calls on everyone to seek medical advice immediately upon displaying symptoms.
The experts also call for getting vaccinated against the flu.
