A doctor checks on a patient with the swine flu H1N1 (Illustrative photo: VNA) Tra Vinh (VNA) – The Health Department in theMekong Delta province of Tra Vinh on August 9 announced that it has recorded adeath caused by the swine flu A/H1N1.
The deceased, Nguyen Thanh Hong, 60, was hospitalised at thelocal Tieu Can general hospital on July 31 over breathing problems. He wasdiagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – a common lungdisease, high blood pressure, and Cushing's syndrome – a collection of signsand symptoms due to prolonged exposure to cortisol.
He was transferred to the Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi MinhCity and died five days later. Tests from the Ho Chi Minh City PasteurInstitute showed that he was positive for A/H1N1.
Cao My Phuong, Director of the Tra Vinh Health Department,said the agency is intensifying measures to prevent the disease from speading.She unveiled that Hong’s house and its surrounding areas have been sterilizedwhile medical staff involved in his case have been put under healthsurveillance.
Swine flu A/H1N1 is one of the three most common seasonalinfluenza strains in Vietnam, with at least five deaths recorded since thebeginning of this year.
The A/H1N1 virus causes a pernicious respiratory infection.Its symptoms are similar to seasonal flu, those of a fever, cold, cough, andheadache. The virus then spreads to the respiratory system, causing othercomplicated symptoms such as wheezing and phlegm.
Patients suffering from A/H1N1 flu and seasonal flu normallyrecover after a week. However, vulnerable groups include the elderly, children,pregnant women, diabetics, cancer patients, HIV-positive people, and those withpre-existing respiratory issues.
Vietnam previously experienced an A/H1N1 pandemic in 2009,with over 9,000 cases of people contracting the disease and nearly 20 deathswithin four months, according to the Ministry of Health. -VNA
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