THE HAGUE, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- The number of flu cases in the Netherlands has been rising rapidly, prompting the Netherlands Institute for Health Services (Nivel) to officially declare the start of a flu epidemic on Wednesday.

A flu epidemic is officially recognized when at least 53 out of 100,000 people report flu symptoms to their doctor for two consecutive weeks. Last week, 76 out of 100,000 people in the Netherlands reported flu symptoms, up from 58 the week before.

According to Nivel, these figures mark the official beginning of this year's flu epidemic. Last year, the epidemic also began in late January and lasted until the end of March.

The outbreak is causing disruptions across the country. In some hospitals, routine care has been scaled back due to high rates of staff sick leave. Schools are also affected, with many classrooms empty and lessons canceled as teachers call in sick. Enditem

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