At least 33 people have lost their lives following an outbreak of swine flu mainly in two southeastern Iranian provinces in the past three weeks, Iran’s deputy health minister says.

Ali Akbar Sayyari said on Monday that the flu left 28 people dead in Kerman Province and five, including four pregnant women, in Sistan and Baluchestan.

He added that there are more cases of infection across the country.

“The Health Ministry predicts that the disease will spread across the country in the coming days and seven other provinces, including Tehran, West Azarbaijan, East Azarbaijan and Kermanshah, are exposed to the danger of the disease more than to other provinces,” Sayyari said.

The deputy of Iran’s center for contagious diseases, Mahmoud Nabavi, was quoted by the Fars News Agency on Sunday as saying that reports about the virus are not “abnormal” as cases of flu infection increase at this time of the year.