You're reading: Ukraine’s Health Ministry reports increase in flu death toll to 319 people

As of Feb. 18, influenza and its complications had killed 319 people in Ukraine during this epidemic season, which started late in September 2015, the Ukrainian Health Ministry has said in its update.

“According to recent reports, 319 flu deaths, including five children under 17 (in Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava Oblasts) and two pregnant women (in Zaporizhia and Kirovohrad Oblasts), have been confirmed by laboratories since the beginning of this epidemic season. Most of deaths were registered in Odesa Oblast (40), the city of Kyiv (37), Donetsk Oblast (25), Cherkasy Oblast (22), and Lviv Oblast (18),” the health ministry said.

“The analysis of the deaths has shown that all the dead had no vaccinations against influenza,” it said.

The ministry said it had registered 3.8 million people with the flu and acute respiratory viral infection during the epidemic season, which was 9.9 percent of the total population.

Of the total number of the ill, children under 17 accounted for 60.6 percent. The highest number of flu cases was registered in Kyiv region and the city of Kyiv (16.9 percent and 13.8 percent, respectively). The lowest number was recorded in Zakarpattia and Kharkiv region (6.6 percent and 4.0 percent, respectively).