12/Sep/09
S. Korea Reports 5th Death From Flu
A South Korean woman infected with influenza A died Saturday, raising the local death toll from the H1N1 virus to five.
The 73-year-old woman, who suffered from high blood pressure, was presumed to have died from complications stemming from the new flu, Yonhap News Agency reported quoting health officials.
The woman, who recently visited the United States, was confirmed infected with influenza A on Aug. 25, after showing symptoms of high fever and coughing. The exact cause of the death was still under investigation.
On Aug. 15, South Korea reported its first H1N1 virus-related death — a man in his 50s who had recently returned from a trip to Thailand.
South Korea reported its first new flu outbreak in early May, with the number of infections reaching more than 7,000. Most have fully recovered, but health experts say the disease could spread at a more rapid pace in the fall.
The government earlier said that it will vaccinate around 10 million people against the virus by the end of this year. Full-scale vaccination will begin in November and aims to inoculate 27 percent of the nation’s 49 million people by February next year, it added.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/09/113_51718.html
7th swine flu death in Louisiana
Associated Press - September 12, 2009 10:54 AM ET
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals says a northwest Louisiana man has died of swine flu - Louisiana’s seventh death from the H1N1 virus.
The department confirmed his death Saturday, but did not say when he died.
It says he lived in Region 7, which runs from Caddo to Claiborne and south to Sabine and Natchitoches parishes.
Because coughs and sneezes spread the virus, the department recommends covering nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throwing out the tissue, and washing hands often.
It also recommends staying home if you get the flu and staying at least three to six feet from anyone who has it. And, if you get flulike symptoms and have other high-risk conditions such as pregnancy, diabetes or heart or lung problems, see a doctor.
http://www.wxvt.com/Global/story.asp?S=11118618