Fifth death from H1N1 in Nagano

NAGANO (Kyodo) A man in his 30s died of respiratory problems at a hospital in the city of Nagano after contracting swine flu, the municipal government said Thursday, bringing the total number of domestic deaths from the H1N1 virus to five.

The man, who had an enlarged heart, chronic heart failure and diabetes as underlying diseases, is the youngest to die from the virus since its infection was first confirmed in Japan in May, according to the city and the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

The man started coughing on Aug. 20 and went to a local medical institution after his temperature rose to 37.9 on Sunday. He tested negative for swine flu at the time.

But his condition did not improve and he was hospitalized for chronic heart failure and pneumonia Tuesday. He was confirmed to have been infected with the A/H1N1 2009 strain the following day and was receiving treatment in an intensive care unit with a respirator at the time of his death.