Hungary declares swine flu epidemic

A nationwide epidemic is declared when more than 20,000 cases are reported in a week.

Hungarian authorities declared a national swine flu epidemic on Wednesday as the number of reported cases jumped by over 30 percent in a week.

- We have stepped over the threshold: the flu epidemic has started in Hungary - chief medical officer Ferenc Falus told a press conference.

- Last week, 22,000 people sought medical help with flu symptoms, which is 32 percent more than in the preceding week. -

A nationwide epidemic is declared when more than 20,000 cases are reported in a week, according to the National Centre for Epidemiology.

Currently, 172 swine flu patients were being treated in hospital, the centre said.

Hungary saw its first swine-flu-related death in July. To date, the total number of fatalities stands at seven.

The government launched a voluntary vaccination campaign in October. So far 11 percent of the population has received the A(H1N1) vaccine, according to the Ministry of Health.

Hungary is mass producing its own vaccination, "Fluval P", which has been authorised after a European procedure was accelerated.

The World Heath Organisation has provided Hungarian authorities with the virus required for the preparation of the vaccination.

Fluval P, like the other authorised vaccinations, is based on a model put together during the preparation against an H5N1 Avian flu pandemic.

Thanks to this technology, only the virus in the vaccination has to be modified when a new virus appears, the other elements in its composition do not change.

Contrary to the others available on the market, the Hungarian vaccination requires just one injection which becomes effective 10 to 15 days after the jab.

Hungary does not want to commercialise its vaccination within the European Union: enough products exist on the market and the process of approval would take far too long, Falus explained.

Despite the requests from numerous countries, especially in Asia, Omnivest, the society putting together the Hungarian vaccination, said it would not export it before the Hungarian population was protected.

The vaccination costs around seven euros in pharmacies, but under-18s and those in high-risk employment such as medical workers will receive the vaccination for free.