RP records 2 more A(H1N1)-related deaths

MANILA, Philippines - The number of Influenza A(H1N1)-related fatalities in the country has risen to three with the deaths of two more people infected with the novel flu virus, Health officials said on Monday. In a phone interview, Dr. Eric Tayag of the Department of Health's National Epidemiology Center said the two died last week. But Lisa Pardo, a nurse at the DOH's health emergency management staff, told GMANews.TV in a telephone interview that the two individuals had "co-existing high-risk conditions" prior to their infection with A(H1N1). One fatality, a 19-year-old male, had asthma while the other, a 74-year-old male, had a "history of frequent hospitalization" and emphysema, Pardo said. The first A(H1N1)-related fatality in the Philippines and in Asia was a 49-year-old woman who had a pre-existing heart disease. She was an employee at the House of Representatives. According to the DOH, there are now 2,668 confirmed cases of A(H1N1) in the country, although 2,543 of these or 95 percent had already recovered. - GMANews.TV