The 59-year old resident in the southern province of Ben Tre was hospitalised on September 16 with symptoms of coughing and breathing difficulties. She was found to have suffered from end-stage renal failure due to kidney disease, pneumonia and type 2 diabetes for at least 12 years. She was then sent to Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. She passed away on September 21 after testing positive for A/H1N1 flu virus.

The ministry reported an additional 203 confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu on September 24 alone, bringing the total number to 7,839.

The epidemic has spread to 56 provinces, reported the ministry, adding that just a few northern mountainous provinces remain unaffected.

Although the A/H1N1flu in the northern region has no fatal cases reported, Dr Nguyen Van Kinh, Head of the National Contagious and Tropical Disease Institute, warned that the situation would become worse in the upcoming winter, an ideal weather for the virus to develop.