Riga (dpa) - A 50-year-old Latvian woman on Monday became the
first person in the Baltics to die of the virulent A/H1N1 flu virus,
known commonly as swine flu.
The unidentified woman died at the P Stradins University Hospital
in the capital Riga, the Baltic News Service reported.
She had been under observation after become ill on her return from
a trip to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, between Poland and
Lithuania.
Doctors stressed that the victim had been feeling unwell for
around a week before visiting her doctor and urged others to seek
medical advice more quickly when symptoms appear.
The number of swine flu cases recorded in Latvia has reached 89,
including 52 new cases registered last week.
News of the death increased fears that Latvia could face a
situation similar to that in Ukraine, where a total of 155 people
have died in a flu outbreak since late October.
The Latvian Infectious Diseases Center said it has an action plan
ready in case the number of patients starts increasing rapidly, but
unlike neighbouring Estonia, Latvia has not bought stocks of flu
vaccine.
Copyright 2009 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH