Vietnam Confirms One More A/H1N1-Related Death, Tally to 43

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has confirmed one more death relating to swine flu, raising the country’s death toll to 43, a senior health official said at a meeting on A/H1N1 pandemic prevention in Hanoi on Nov. 25. Nguyen Huy Nga chief of the ministry’s Preventive Medicine and Environment told the meeting that the victim was a 27-week pregnant woman, 20, from the central province of Khanh Hoa and is the eleventh pregnant death relating to swine flu in Vietnam. The World Heath Organization (WHO) officially announced that it will grant 1.2 million doses of A/H1N1 vaccine produced by GlaxoSmithKline Co. (GSK) for Vietnam next month, said Nguyen Tran Hien director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. The WHO said the vaccine is safe for pregnant woman and that there has been no evidence saying that the vaccine affects the development of the foetus or the mother's health, Hien added. The WHO also committed to provide 10 million doses of A/H1N1 vaccine to help Vietnam vaccinate 10% of its population through next year.   Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance said that it allocated VND790 billion ($44 million) from the state budget 2009 to fight against A/H1N1 epidemic so far.