South Korea on Sunday reported five more death cases related to A/H1N1 flu, raising the country's death toll from the new contagious disease to 40, Xinhua reported.
According to the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, a 45-year-old woman and an 80-year-old woman both living in Seoul area, and a 79-year-old man living in Jeolla area, have died recently due to complications caused by the new contagious disease such as pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome.
The three, who have long suffered from chronic disease, were all regarded as "high-risk" patients, the ministry said.
Moreover, two earlier death cases were also confirmed directly caused by the new flu virus.
The two victims were a 24-year-old woman who died on Oct. 29 and was not categorized as a "high-risk" patient, and a 53-year- old man who has long suffered from chronic disease and died on Oct. 30.
Thus, the new contagious disease has so far claimed 40 lives in South Korea.
Meanwhile, the South Korean government will hold a national crisis assessment meeting next Wednesday to discuss raising the nation's disease alert level from the current "Orange" to the highest "Red", the country's Yonhap News Agency reported on Sunday.
The country revised up the national disease alert level by one notch from the third-highest "Yellow" to the second highest " Orange" on July 21.
Fears are growing in South Korea recently over the fast spread of the new flu as a daily average of some 8,000 new cases of A/ H1N1 was reported recently.
The country began the A/H1N1 vaccinations on Tuesday. The first wave of vaccinations mainly covered medical staff and quarantine officers in hospitals designated as A/H1N1 flu-treatment facilities. Vaccinations for elementary, middle and high school students will begin in mid-November, while for preschool children, the elderly and patients with chronic diseases will start in January.