(LEAD) S. Korean man dies in suspected Influenza A case

(ATTN: ADDS background and government data from 5th para; CHANGES headline)
SEOUL, Sept. 7 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean man in his 70s presumed to have been
infected with Influenza A (H1N1) virus died Monday, health authorities said.
"A 78-year-old man living in the Seoul metropolitan area has died after long
suffering from prostate cancer, high blood pressure and lung diseases," said an
official of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs.
"The patient initially tested positive for the type-A influenza virus. In a
reexamination, however, he tested negative. So far it is not clear whether he
died of new flu or not," said the official, adding further tests are underway and
the final results will be available soon.
If the man is shown to have been infected with the Influenza A virus, he will
become the fifth South Korean fatality of the highly infectious disease,
according to the official.
A total of 6,184 cases of type-A flu infections have been reported across the
nation, including four deaths, according to data released by the Ministry of
Public Administration and Security.
Last Friday, a female type-A flu patient in her 40s was presumed brain-dead,
heightening public concern about the disease and prompting the government to
scurry to take stronger countermeasures.
About half the infected patients are currently undergoing treatment, with 21
admitted to hospitals, said the ministry.
Influenza A, which has thus far claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people
worldwide, is expected to spread faster in South Korea this fall.
In a bid to stem the spread of the disease, the government said recently it will
vaccinate around 10 million people against the virus by the end of this year. The
government plans to start full-scale vaccination in November, and aims to
inoculate 27 percent of the nation's 48 million people by February next year.
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