Boy becomes El Salvador’s first swine flu fatality

A nine-year-old boy has become the first person to die in El Salvador from the swine flu virus, the ministry of health said on Thursday.

A nine-year-old boy has become the first person to die in El Salvador from the swine flu virus, the ministry of health said on Thursday.

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The boy died in a private hospital on Wednesday due to “severe respiratory problems,” a statement from the ministry said. “(He is) the first fatal victim of the pandemic in the country,” the statement added.

Authorities said that after three days of sickness the boy received medical attention at a local public health clinic, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia.

He was later treated at a private hospital, where he died less than 24 hours later from “septic shock following pneumonia.”

El Salvador has seen 277 confirmed cases of the A(H1N1) virus, and a further 178 patients are being watched.