Haiti reports first suspected H1N1 death

Haiti has reported its first suspected death from the H1N1 virus.

The victim was from the small community of Nan Bannann in the southern city of Belle-Ansecity, 110 km southwest of the capital Port-au-Prince. The victim died at a hospital in Thiotte, 65 km east of the capital.

Reports indicate that the victim appeared to have contracted the virus in Anse-a-Pitres, a small town along the border with the Dominican Republic, where H1N1 has killed eight people.

Last week, five people in southeast Haiti were confirmed to have contracted the virus, after tests were sent to the Karpha Laboratory in Trinidad & Tobago to be analyzed.

Guirlaine Charitte, the General Director of the Haitian Health Ministry, said that of the five suspected cases, only three have been confirmed to have H1N1, a Haitian citizen and two Chilean soldiers belonging to MINUSTAH (the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti).

Asked about the suspected first victim of the virus, Charitte said while the victim showed all the symptoms, the case has not been officially confirmed.

Last week, Haiti activated its health monitoring mechanisms after its neighbor, the Dominican Republic, reported the presence of the flu.

The Haitian government called on the public to be alert to the risks of the virus, which first appeared in July 2009, when a pandemic killed some 20,000 people in several countries around the world. -(Bernama)