S. Korea Reports 5th Death From Flu

A South Korean woman infected with influenza A died Saturday, raising the local death toll from the H1N1 virus to five.

The 73-year-old woman, who suffered from high blood pressure, was presumed to have died from complications stemming from the new flu, Yonhap News Agency reported quoting health officials.

The woman, who recently visited the United States, was confirmed infected with influenza A on Aug. 25, after showing symptoms of high fever and coughing. The exact cause of the death was still under investigation.

On Aug. 15, South Korea reported its first H1N1 virus-related death -- a man in his 50s who had recently returned from a trip to Thailand.

South Korea reported its first new flu outbreak in early May, with the number of infections reaching more than 7,000. Most have fully recovered, but health experts say the disease could spread at a more rapid pace in the fall.

The government earlier said that it will vaccinate around 10 million people against the virus by the end of this year. Full-scale vaccination will begin in November and aims to inoculate 27 percent of the nation's 49 million people by February next year, it added.