1 in 3 Greeks could fall ill with H1N1 flu

ATHENS, Greece, July 10 (UPI) -- Greek Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos has told the nation about 33 percent of the 11.2 million population could be infected with the H1N1 flu virus.

Avramopoulos said the H1N1 flu pandemic, widely known as swine flu, could last for the next 12 to 15 months or even as long as two years, the Athens News Agency reported Friday.

He warned in case the H1N1 virus changed and became more aggressive as many as about 54 percent of Greeks could fall sick with the flu.

Addressing reporters in Athens Thursday, the minister said fatalities caused by the swine flu should not be ruled out.

A total of 201 people have been infected with the swine flu in Greece.