MALE, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Maldivian health authorities on Thursday confirmed the Indian Ocean archipelago's first death from the H1N1 flu virus. A 65-year Maldivian man with no recent history of travel abroad died on Wednesday, the first death reported from the flu, Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed, senior medical officer at the Centre for Community Health and Disease, told Reuters. Four local and two foreigners have already tested positive for the flu, since detected first on July 25. "All six cases that we have previously reported were imported. This is the first case of local transmission. We realise the virus is circulating in the Maldives," said Jamsheed. All six had already recovered, he said. Authorities of the island nations, best-known for luxury tropical hideaways and unspoiled beaches, have been screening all visitors at airports and sea ports, since April. (Reporting by Maryam Omidi; Writing by Shihar Aneez; editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
A boy gets a free H1N1 flu vaccine at a kindergarden in Budapest November 19, 2009. Health authorities have designated inoculation centres to facilitate access to vaccines against the H1N1 virus, ...
