As many as 179 H1N1, or swine flu, cases were confirmed in Belarus as of November 23, said the health ministry.
Of the total number, 153 were reportedly recorded during the fall outbreak of acute respiratory diseases in the country.
H1N1 accounted for 22.3 percent, influenza B for 3.3 percent, parainfluenza for 8.2 percent, adenoviruses for 21 percent and the respiratory syncytialis virus for 17.7 percent of all laboratory-confirmed respiratory infections, according to the ministry.
As of November 19, 13 pneumonia deaths caused by H1N1 were recorded in Belarus.
The health ministry said that the number of people applying to health institutions over flu-like symptoms had dropped by 38.2 in Belarus between November 16 and 22 compared with the previous week, including by 12.4 percent in the Brest region, by 47.7 percent in the Homyel region, by 39.7 percent in the Hrodna region, by 41.5 percent in Minsk, by 35.9 percent in the Minsk region, by 33.4 percent in the Mahilyow region and by 33.9 percent in the Vitsyebsk region.
The number of diagnosed cases dropped to the previous year’s levels between November 20 and 22. More than a million people have been vaccinated against flu this year, which is 35.9 percent more than in 2008, the ministry stressed.
A quarantine was still in place at 238 educational institutions on November 23.
The ministry said that "there is a sufficient amount of vital antibiotics in stock and at health institutions to satisfy the current domestic demand."
