Health Minister Milan Kujundzic on Thursday said that a rise in the number of deaths caused by this season's flu could be evidently ascribed to a very aggressive virus, considering the fact that Croatia had a high vaccination rate.

According to the latest data provided by the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ), over 53,380 people caught the flu during this season, and 85 of them died by 17 February.

This year’s influenza death toll is the highest in the last five years.

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.

For instance, last year’s influenza season took the lives of 29 Croats.

Minister Kujundzic said that this year, the influenza virus was more aggressive and therefore there were more complications and consequent death cases, despite a high vaccination rate in the general population.

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