The World Health Organization (WHO) corrected the data on mortality from respiratory diseases associated with seasonal influenza. According to new estimates published by World Health Organization, up-to 650,000 people die of respiratory diseases each year, and not up to 500,000, as it was believed until now.
A press release shared in Geneva states that new estimates for influenza by the World Health Organization, the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and their partners take into account the results of recent scientific studies. Earlier the experts said that the flu-related diseases claim around 250 to 500 thousand lives each year, but now the same experts state that the number of deaths caused by respiratory ailments is actually around 650,000.
As noted in the CDC, the majority of deaths happen in people who are over the age of 75 years, as well as people from the poorest nations. The most dangerous in terms of mortality from influenza is the region of Africa, located south of the Sahara. It is followed by the Eastern Mediterranean and South-East Asia.
After US, Israel Set to Withdrawal from UNESCO
“The published data show the great burden of influenza and its significant social and economic price for the world, highlighting the importance of influenza preventive measures for seasonal epidemics, as well as the need to prepare for a pandemic,” said the Director of the World Health Organization. According to him, all countries, both poor and rich, “must work together to establish control over outbreaks of influenza, without waiting for the next pandemic.”
