5th death in Japan linked to new flu recorded as Nagano man succumbs+

NAGANO, Japan, Aug. 27 Kyodo -
A man in his 30s died of respiratory problems at a hospital in Nagano city
after contracting the new H1N1 strain of influenza A, the city government said
Thursday, bringing the total number of such deaths in Japan to five.

The unemployed man, who had an enlarged heart, chronic heart failure and
diabetes as underlying diseases, is the youngest to die with the virus since
its infection was first confirmed in Japan in May, according to the city and
the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
The man started coughing on Aug. 20 and went to a local medical institution
after his temperature rose to 37.9 C on Sunday. He tested negative for the flu
at the time.
But his condition did not improve and he was hospitalized for chronic heart
failure and pneumonia on Tuesday. He was confirmed to have been infected with
the new strain the following day and was receiving treatment in an intensive
care unit with a respirator at the time of his death.
==Kyodo