Swine flu has claimed its first victim in Romania, a 43-year-old man in the eastern part of the country suffering from underlying health problems, the Ministry of Health said Monday.
"The victim is a 43-year-old man from Siret (east) who died on November 20. We have received test results today confirming he was contaminated by the H1N1 virus which caused his death", the ministry said in a press release.
The man was taken to hospital on November 15 with swine flu symptoms. His state worsened due to other factors: obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, officials added.
Another 10 people are seriously affected by the virus in northeast of the country which has so far recorded 1,966 cases of swine flu.
The government has launched a vaccination campaign. The first 1.34 million doses produced by a Romanian laboratory will be used for medical staff, school children and military personnel.
iw/mr/cw
Romania-health-flu
AFP 231313 GMT 11 09
COPYRIGHT 2002 Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved.