Swine flu death toll rises to 8 - Health Minister

Turkish Health Minister, Mehmet Muezzinoglu, confirmed on Thursday that the death toll from swine flu had reached a total of eight this year so far.

He said on Thursday at a press conference in Ankara that before being infected, six people were chronically ill ; one was pregnant, while the other had no health problem.

Muezzinoglu said three people, including two Syrians, also died as a result of swine flu in the Turkish southern province of Adana on Jan. 3.

In 2009, the H1N1 endemic erupted in Mexico, later becoming a worldwide epidemic.