Australia reports 11th H1N1-related death Agence France-Presse
July 05, 2009
MELBOURNE -- Australia reported its 11th death linked to the Influenza A(H1N1) virus on Sunday, as the number of cases in Asia-Pacific's worst-hit nation soared to 5,298.
Authorities in New South Wales said a 57-year-old man died on Friday in a Sydney hospital, but state chief health officer Kerry Chant said the man suffered pre-existing medical problems, including diabetes.
"Because of underlying medical conditions, the man was at greater risk of severe illness from H1N1 influenza," she said.
Health officials have said that all those who have died with swine flu in Australia have had underlying medical conditions, except one, a three-year-old boy from Victoria state who died late last month.
A national update on the disease issued Sunday said 88 people with swine flu were in hospitals around the country, 24 of them in intensive care.
