According to data released by Croatia's Public Health Institute, 45 deaths attributed to influenza and flu-related complications have been registered in the country up to and including January 27, with close to 28,700 cases recorded in total.

This year’s influenza season claimed lives of patients as young as seven to as old as 96, with 25 deaths of people aged 65 and over, who had all been suffering from one or more chronic medical conditions.

The flu season, usually lasting from roughly December to March, is usually accompanied with higher death rates compared to the rest of the year, as older people and persons suffering from chronic diseases are susceptible to the flu which then exacerbates their pre-existing conditions.

Last week alone, some 11,100 new cases of flu were recorded, which experts say indicates that the seasonal epidemic is close to peaking. The largest numbers of patients were registered in Zagreb and the area around it, some parts of eastern Croatia, as well as the Split-Dalmatia county in the south.

HZJZ also said that this year’s season is marked by the dominance of Type A virus, rather than Type B which was more prevalent this time last year.

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