S. Korea's Influenza A death toll hits 29: gov't

SEOUL, Oct. 28 (Yonhap) -- The number of South Koreans who have died from Influenza A (H1N1) has risen to 29 with the death of a 42 year-old woman over the weekend who tested positive for the virus, the government said Wednesday.

The latest confirmation raises the number of healthy people who have died from
the infection to five since the first death was reported in the country in
mid-August, the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said.
The other 24 people were either elderly or suffered from chronic diseases that
made them more vulnerable to the flu, which has killed thousands worldwide.
The ministry said that the deceased woman was admitted to a clinic late last week
and was diagnosed as having pneumonia. She was immediately transferred to a
larger hospital and given anti-viral drugs but died two days later on Sunday,
before lab results testing for Influenza A came back.
"The woman did not have any chronic illness or records showing that she had
traveled abroad, indicating that she was infected inside the country," a health
official said.
Local medical experts said that while early deaths usually involved senior
citizens, the flu has started to affect younger, healthy people, making it
imperative for people to seek medical attention if they show symptoms like a
fever and coughing.
Anti-viral drugs like Tamiflu are most effective within 48 hours after the first
systems appear.
The latest death report comes as public anxieties mount over the rapid spread of
the H1N1 virus.
The government, meanwhile, is scurrying to stem the spread of the disease by
seeking to vaccinate 35 percent of the country's 49 million people.
The first round of vaccinations started Tuesday for those highly vulnerable to
the illness, including medical staff. Children, people suffering from health
conditions and senior citizens are to receive shots over the next few months.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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