RIGA, Oct 19 (LETA) - Flu is the most damaging disease to the economy of Latvia and people's well-being, Jurijs Perevoscikovs, head of the Department for Prevention of Infectious Diseases at the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, told a press conference today.

Although the flu epidemic may sometimes be rather brief, the economic burden of seasonal influenza and its impact on healthcare are substantial, said Perevoscikovs.

It is difficult to predict when the next fly epidemic will begin, but usually the number of flu cases starts to rise in December, reaching the culmination at the end of January, said Perevoscikovs.

Last year, 76 people died of influenza in Latvia, and all of them had one or more chronic diseases. At least fourteen of these people contracted influenza in hospital.

Influenza is a highly infectious viral disease that may cause serious complications. In Latvia, 5 percent to 15 percent of residents are down with flu during an average influenza epidemic.

Usually a person infected with influenza goes on to infect two more people who have no immunity. Given that flu incubation period is very short, the infection is spreading very fast.

Children are most prone to contracting influenza, said Perevoscikovs. Then parents then contract the disease themselves, and many of them bring it to work. That is why vaccinating children against influenza is a highly effective preventive measure.

Each year, seasonal influenza kills up to 70,000 people in European Union member countries, informed Perevoscikovs. The number of flu cases in Latvia last year was almost twice as high as in the previous season, while the number of flu patients hospitalized for pneumonia increased threefold. Elderly residents were affected the most last season.

The proportion of people who vaccinate against influenza in Latvia - less than 1 percent - is one of the lowest in Europe. The proportion is higher with residents 65 and older, 2 percent to 4 percent.

According to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, influenza viruses constantly change, which is why new vaccines are formulated each year.