The provincial Department of Health said on August 14 that the patient in Hieu Tu commune of Tieu Can district began to show symptoms of high fever and urinary retention on July 27 and was hospitalised three days later with initial diagnosis of pneumonia and myocardial infarction. She died on August 9.
Test results at the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City showed she was positive for the A/H1N1 virus.
Deputy Director of the Health Department Nguyen Huu Phuoc said Tra Vinh has recorded four A/H1N1 cases this year and both the deaths were in Tieu Can district. Facing complex developments of A/H1N1, the local health sector has been working with media outlets to spread information about the virus.
A/H1N1 is one of the three most common seasonal influenza strains in Vietnam, with several deaths reported since the year’s beginning.
It causes a pernicious respiratory infection. Patients suffering from A/H1N1 and seasonal flu normally recover after a week. However, vulnerable groups include the elderly, children, pregnant women, diabetics, cancer patients, HIV-positive people and those with pre-existing respiratory issues.
Vietnam previously experienced an A/H1N1 epidemic in 2009, with more than 9,000 cases of the virus and nearly 20 deaths in four months, according to the Ministry of Health.
