Australia reported its second swine flu-related death yesterday — the third for the Asia-Pacific region — while Malaysia closed a school in efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
The 35-year-old Australian victim, who had a range of medical problems, died in a hospital in the southern city of Melbourne on Saturday after seeking medical help for a flu-like illness on Friday, said Rosemary Lester, acting chief health officer for Victoria state.
Swabs were taken and later tested positive for swine flu, she said.
Lester said that in most Australian cases, the virus remains a mild illness from which many people recover without any medical treatment.
“However, we know that for people with chronic medical conditions, influenza can be severe,” she said.
Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon told parliament the man was believed to have died from “respiratory failures.”
“Unfortunately, as this disease continues to spread through the community, it is inevitable that we will experience more cases with severe outcomes, potentially also resulting in death,” Roxon said.
On Friday, a 26-year-old man with multiple ailments including swine flu died in a hospital in the southern city of Adelaide.
Authorities are not certain in either case that swine flu was the cause of death.
Australia had 2,733 confirmed cases of swine flu by yesterday, 1,407 of those in Victoria, where Melbourne is the state capital.
The only other country in the region to report a death of someone with swine flu has been the Philippines, where officials on Monday said that a 49-year-old woman had died.
Malaysia’s Health Ministry said it had closed a third school yesterday because of swine flu fears as 10 new cases were reported.
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