The 33 newly detected cases include 16 in the South, 10 in the North, and 7 in the central region. 

To date, 883 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospital, while the remaining 328 are in quarantine for medical treatment. 

A patient with Downs syndrome in Ho Chi Minh City, who was infected by H1N1, has died of respiratory distress, said the Director of the municipal Health Department Nguyen Van Chau. This was the first death confirmed in HCM City. However, the Health Ministry has not yet provided a reason for the fatality. 

Tamiflu pricing queried in southern hub

The municipal Department of Health will carry out inspections of all pharmacies to check the pricing and quality of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu next week, according to local officials.

Pham Khanh Phong Lan, deputy head of the department, said at a press conference on August 10 that some drug stores in the city were selling Tamiflu tablets at 448,000 VND per package while patients of the flu received the drug free of charge.

Ms Lan said that Tamiflu sold in the drugstores might not be of good quality and could be detrimental to the health of residents. ‘Tamiflu is provided to health clinics and hospitals by Vinamimex (the sole authorized importer of the drug) and the company does not supply any medicine to drug-stores,’ she said.

Ms Lan noted that the department has warned residents not to buy Tamiflu at drugsores, as it is only effective for 48 hours and their users will likely be susceptible to catching the flu again. Pharmacies found violating regulations will be fined, she confirmed.

Meanwhile, the education sector is in a dilemma when pupils and students are normally scheduled to start their new academic years in several weeks and schools’ capacity to control the disease is limited.