35.6 percent of patients were infants aged 0 to 1, 26.8 percent were aged 2 to 4 and 14.4 percent were aged 5 to 9. Out of 3,098 calls at children’s emergency services, 59.5 percent were influenza or similar illness calls. As a city-wide measure, 977 additional children’s beds and 695 hospital beds were installed at hospitals in the first week of 2019. As of today, a total of 1672 children are being treated at hospitals. A study conducted by the Ulaanbaatar city Health Department (UBHD) shows that 850 more children’s bed can also be installed at hospitals.

Sources say the majority of the patients were diagnosed with H1N1 virus, which forced the entire city to go into a quarantine a few years ago. A spokesperson of the UBHD remarked, “Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 is one of the common flu that annually outbreaks in Mongolia. The first outbreak of the virus, which is also called swine flu or pig flu, was in 2009. As a new virus, the symptoms were more severe and spread more easily, leading to several deaths, as the public was not immune to the virus. This kind of pandemic happens once every 20-30 years. As for Mongolia, influenza outbreaks are happening in every decade. After the 2009 breakout, H1N1 is now called respiratory flu. Main cause of the near-frequency is the cold weather.”

He then explained that the flu is highly contagious to people with low immunity, chronic illness, elders and children. “Since the first global epidemic of swine flu, people developed immunity towards it; however, the virus evolves constantly, leading to a seasonal flu outbreaks.”

According to officials, the influenza vaccine of this year comprises of H1N1 and H3N2 virus components.