MANILA, 25 June 2009, 1600 hrs—Australia recorded its third death related to Pandemic H1N1 2009, a 50-year-old woman with life-threatening cancer who died on 24 June after testing positive for the virus two days earlier. The fatality came as the number of confirmed cases reported in Australia climbed to 3000.
The deceased woman had been a long-term cancer patient in the state of Victoria. She was admitted to hospital last Saturday complaining of respiratory illness, and was moved to intensive care the following day. After her death, follow-up health measures including the provision of Tamiflu were implemented for contacts of the patient in the hospital. The woman is the second Victorian with the virus to die, following the death of a 35-year-old man from the state of Victoria earlier this week.
Cambodia reported its first case of Pandemic H1N1 2009, a 16-year old student from the United States of America who entered Cambodia as part of a school trip to that country.
In Hong Kong (China), 36 new cases were reported as its health authorities advised a secondary school to suspend classes for two weeks to prevent further transmission of the virus. In mainland China there have been 528 cases identified, an increase of 38 in the 24 hours since the last reporting period.
Singapore confirmed 26 new cases, comprising 11 local cases and 15 cases with travel history to either Australia, Hong Kong (China), New Zealand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, or the United States of America. Health authorities in Singapore have advised people planning overseas travel to check the Ministry of Health website for the latest news on countries with confirmed cases to help them decide whether to proceed with travel plans.
In New Zealand, 31 new cases were identified as health authorities in that country urged people with existing health conditions such as serious respiratory or heart disease to seek medical attention immediately if they develop influenza symptoms. Also, Japan reported 54 new infections, while four new cases were detected in Brunei Darussalam.
The number of confirmed cases of Pandemic H1N1 2009 reported in the Western Pacific Region is 6315 in 19 countries and areas. There have been four deaths associated with Pandemic H1N1 2009 in the Region, which are indicated in brackets beside the case numbers below.
- Australia 3000 (3)
- Brunei Darussalam 11
- Cambodia 1
- China 528
- Hong Kong (China) 444
- Macao (China) 12
- Taiwan (China) 61
- Fiji 2
- Japan 945
- Lao People's Democratic Republic 3
- Malaysia 68
- New Zealand 417
- Papua New Guinea 1
- Philippines 428 (1)
- Republic of Korea 115
- Samoa 1
- Singapore 220
- Vanuatu 2
- Viet Nam 56
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