The Health Ministry Undersecretary Deren Oygar on Monday said that there was no need for alarm as the country was experiencing seasonal flu cases typical of the winter season.

Speaking to BRT, Oygar highlighted that the flu case numbers are consistent with those seen in previous years.

During a recent meeting of the Communicable Diseases High Committee, experts confirmed that the observed upper respiratory infections are attributable to seasonal flu.

Oygar also noted that infectious disease and pulmonology specialists have not reported any capacity issues in intensive care units.

“The Committee’s meeting last Friday was not held due to an increase in cases but is a legal obligation that occurs every six months,” she explained.

Oygar reminded that similar decisions were made in January last year, with only revisions introduced in the latest meeting.

Comparing statistics from January 2023 to December 2024, Oygar revealed no significant changes in hospital admissions or outpatient visits.

In fact, a decrease in pediatric intensive care admissions was observed.                                 

Addressing claims by the Cyprus Turkish Medical Association (TIP-İŞ) that intensive care units were currently running at full capacity and overstretched, Oygar stated, “Specialists working in public hospitals have not provided us with any warnings regarding full intensive care units. This is purely seasonal flu with no extraordinary differences. Experts have brought forward recommendations, but no proposals were made to open separate clinics.”

Oygar acknowledged the need for increasing intensive care bed capacity relative to population growth and confirmed that the Ministry of Health has initiated efforts in this regard.