Dutch declare swine flu epidemic over

(AFP PHOTO / MIGUEL MEDINA)

The swine flu epidemic in the Netherlands is over, the country's National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said on Monday.

Dutch health authorities said on October 23 the country was facing a "minor epidemic" of the A(H1N1) virus.

RIVM spokesman Martijn Sobels told AFP on Monday: "It is no longer an epidemic.

"The number of A(H1N1) cases has continued to fall in the past week and now stands at 4.4 per 10,000 population. For it to be an epidemic, there have to be more than 5.1 cases per 10,000."

Since April, 2,156 people infected with swine flu have been hospitalised in the Netherlands and 53 have died, including four who developed a mutated form of the virus.

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