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Russia’s Far Eastern city closes all schools for flu quarantine

The forced holidays have been introduced for students of all grades at all 38 schools of in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky from January 29 to February 6

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, January 28. /TASS/. The mayor’s office in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the administrative center of Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka, announced on Thursday that all schools in the city will be closed amid the flu epidemic.

"The forced holidays have been introduced for students of all grades at all 38 schools of the city from January 29 to February 6," the press service of the local administration has said.

The latest move comes in an effort to "prevent the spread of flu cases and also to step up the preventive and anti-epidemic measures," a spokesperson said.

The Kamchatka Territory’s Health Ministry said laboratory tests have confirmed one case when a person died of pneumonia caused by swine flu. Some 112 people currently receive treatment at local medical facilities, with some patients diagnosed with pneumonia.

Swine flu, which was responsible for the flu pandemic in 2009, is contagious, and it spreads in the same way as the seasonal flu. The most serious complication of the flu is pneumonia, leading to fatal cases.