UrBC, Yekaterinburg, February 10, 2016. The number of flu patients went up by 1.6 times in Sverdlovsk Region last year compared with the year 2014, head of Sverdlovsk Region division of the Federal State Statistical Service Elena Kutina said at a press conference today.

Also, the number of common cold and stomach bug patients rose by 9.5% and 3.4%, respectively.

Some of Sverdlovsk Region’s towns have already reported they are faced with a common cold and flu epidemic; some of them are suffering from medicine shortage.