Asia's first A(H1N1)-related death is 49-year-old Filipina

A 49-year-old Filipino woman infected with Influenza A(H1N1) has died, the first fatality related to the new flu strain in the Philippines and Asia, a health official said Monday. Her death, officially from heart failure, has prompted health officials to give the most attention to sickly people who were hit by the flu.

In a press conference in Malacañang, Dr. Yolanda Oliveros, director for the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control of the Department of Health, said the woman died of "congestive heart failure secondary to acute myocardial infarction" on June 19.

According to the patient’s family, the woman developed flu-like symptoms on June 17 but still went to work that day, radio dzBB reported. She was reported to have become "restless" two days later, which prompted her family to call for medical help, but she died at home before the doctor came, according to the report.

In a separate news conference at the DOH, Secretary Francisco Duque III said the woman had a "pre-existing heart disease" that worsened her infection. She also had a liver disease, Oliveros said.

A mouth swab was taken from the patient when she was already dead, which confirmed that she had been infected by the A(H1N1) virus, Duque said.

"A(H1N1) is not the cause of death, but the virus could have exacerbated the situation," Duque said.

According to the World Health Organization, most cases of severe and fatal infections of A(H1N1) have been in adults between the ages of 30 and 50 years. Many of them had "underlying chronic conditions" such as diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity, WHO director-general Dr. Margaret Chan reported.

GMANews.TV

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