HCM City (VNA) - A patient withend-stage kidney failure has died of swine flu at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho ChiMinh City, the hospital reported on June 23.

He was one of 12 patients who had testedpositive for the A/H1N1 influenza virus at the hospital recently.

Le Quoc Hung, head of the hospital’s departmentof tropical diseases, said five of the patients in the department ofnephrology had been diagnosed with swine flu on June 11 and the rest in thenext few days. The infected patients were isolated, Hung added.

This is the first time the hospital is treatingsuch a large number of swine-flu patients, he said.

Nguyen Truong Son, director of the hospital,said the infected patients have been placed under special supervision.

The hospital is also closely monitoring thehealth condition of the personnel at the department of tropical diseases andhas ordered strict preventive measures for them such as a flu vaccination, handwashing and maintaining a safe distance from the infected patients.

It has advised all its staff and relatives ofall patients to take the same precautions.

Earlier this month, Tu Du Hospital in HCM Cityreported 28 cases of swine flu at the hospital, including eight staff.

On June 8, the city’s Preventive Medical Centreannounced the first death from swine flu this year.

A 26-year-old woman died of AH1N1 influenzaafter attempting to treat herself at home for five days.-VNA