Some 90 percent of Russian regions have been hit by the current flu epidemic, which has already killed over 120 people, the TASS news agency reported Tuesday, citing the Russian consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor.
Out of the 85 Russian regions, 74 have surpassed the epidemic threshold, the report said.
Approximately 9,000 schools and more than 1,600 kindergartens have been placed under quarantine due to the flu outbreak, a Rospotrebnadzor spokesperson told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
The public health watchdog spokesperson said that "8,891 school and 1,688 kindergartens are closed. In some cases, groups and classes are closed in preschool institutions," RIA Novosti reported.
In the Stavropol region 416 schools have begun their school vacation early as the epidemic threshold in the region has been exceeded by 76.6 percent, whilst in the Yaroslavl region there are plans to temporarily suspend primary school classes, RIA Novosti said.
The epidemic is expected to reach its peak later this week, the Health Ministry said, TASS reported.
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