Death toll from swine flu in Turkey rises to 8

Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu confirmed the eighth death due to swine flu (H1N1) in the latest outbreak of the epidemic in Turkey, Cumhuriyet newspaper reported today.

When asked by a member of the Turkish parliament, the minister said yesterday that six of the victims were over 65 with weak immune systems, while another was a pregnant woman.

Turkish authorities have observed the outbreak of H1N1 in several provinces in Turkey, which raised the alert level, particularly since 30 people died from the disease last year.

Doctors warned that the spread of the virus may expand in the coming weeks.