7 killed by A/H1N1 virus in Buenos aires, Argentina

At least seven people have died from the influenza A/H1N1 virus in recent weeks in the Argentinean province of Buenos Aires, and another 40 have been infected, a health official confirmed Monday. "There have been seven deaths and 40 cases in the province," Luis Crovetto, director of Primary Attention at the Buenos Aires province Ministry of Health, told a local television channel, adding that the death toll was "five or six more than the (deaths) reported last year in the same period." However, "we are not facing an outbreak," as was the case in Argentina in 2009, Crovetto said. "The deaths occurred in the cities of San Martin, Tornquist, Hurlingham and Mar del Plata," the official said, adding another critically-ill man has been identified with A/H1N1 in the province 's western zone, and he has been hospitalized in Quilmes, some 30 kilometers south of Buenos Aires, the Argentinean capital. "The situation should not generate concern," though people should be aware of the situation, he said. In 2009, Argentina became the country with the second-highest incidence of deaths from the flu-like virus, after the United States. A total of 685 people died and more than 12,000 were infected, according to figures from the Pan-American Health Organization.