H1N1 deaths in Latvia reach 14, including first report of child victim

Andris Straumanis | 

Fourteen people have died so far in Latvia from complications associated with the H1N1 flu, the Infectology Center of Latvia announced Dec. 7.

The most recent deaths were of two men in Rīga. One of them was 29 and the other 46, according to spokeswoman Liene Johansone.

Five deaths—including the first of a child—were reported last week. A 1-year-old child, a 52-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman died in Rīga, while the deaths of a 39-year old woman and a 58-year-old man outside the capital city also were reported.

The first death, of a 56-year-old woman, was reported in Rīga on Nov. 9.

According to infectology center data, the first case of H1N1 in Latvia was confirmed in late June. The number of confirmed cases ballooned during November. As of Dec. 4, a total of 966 cases of H1N1 have been confirmed in Latvia, all but two in Rīga.

Visitors in Latvia who have observed flu-like symptoms and need medical attention are asked to call the emergency number 122, according to the infectology center.

The intensity of H1N1 outbreaks in Latvia is now listed as high, according to the World Health Organization. Two weeks ago the intensity was medium. Intensity, according to WHO, “is an estimate of the proportion of the population with acute respiratory disease.” Medium intensity refers to usual levels of influenza activity.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

Irish police seek help locating missing woman

Latvians Online | 

Police in Ireland are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a 50-year-old Latvian woman who has been missing for more than two weeks.

Anna Larkina left her residence in Johnstown on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 15, and has not been seen since, according to a spokesman for the Garda Press Office. Johnstown, a village near Navan, is about 50 kilometers northwest of Dublin.

Larkina is described as between 5 feet, 5 inches and 5 feet, 7 inches in height. She is of slight build and has dark brown hair and brown eyes. When she left her residence, police said, she is believed to have been wearing a long, cream-colored coat, navy trousers with light blue stripes, and a dark-colored polo neck sweater.

Anyone with information is asked to telephone the Gardai in Navan on 046 9079930 or the Garda Confidential line on 1800 666 111.

Catalogue covers more than 100 years of symphonic music

Egils Kaljo | 

A new catalogue covering nearly the entire history of Latvian symphonic music has been published by the Latvian Music Information Centre.

Titled Latvian Symphonic Music, the catalogue begins in 1880 with Andrejs Jurjāns’ “Symphonic Allegro,” which is considered the first Latvian symphonic work, and ends in 2008.

Compiled by composer Mārīte Dombrovska, and produced by the Latvian Music Information Centre in cooperation with the Latvian Academy of Music and the National Library of Latvia, the book lists more than 1,700 symphonic works of 144 Latvian composers, from Ādolfs Ābele to Arvīds Žilinskis.

The text of the catalogue is in Latvian and in English, with English translations for all of the works, as well as notes about instrumentation, time of the work, and, if applicable, the publisher of the score and if a recording is commercially available.

The catalogue also includes a reference list for all abbreviations used in the catalogue, and is divided into two sections—symphonic music and vocal symphonic music.

One can find all the symphonic works composed by well known Latvian composers such as Pēteris Vasks, Jānis Ivanovs and Artūrs Maskats, as well as diaspora Latvian composers such as Pēteris Aldiņš, Dace Aperāne and Andrejs Jansons.

For further information, visit the Web site of the Latvian Music Information Centre, www.lmic.lv.

Latvian Symphonic Music

The catalogue Latvian Symphonic Music covers the period 1880-2008.

Egils Kaljo is an American-born Latvian from the New York area . Kaljo began listening to Latvian music as soon as he was able to put a record on a record player, and still has old Bellacord 78 rpm records lying around somewhere.