Swine Flu Kills One, Infects 12 in Venezuela

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 30: A woman wearing a surgical mask to prevent the transmission of airborne infection walks in Westminster on July 30, 2009 in London, England. Figures released by the Health Protection Agency show that by July 19, an estimated 100,000 Britons have been infected with swine flu and there have been 26 deaths in England linked to the disease. Over 700 people worldwide have died after contracting swine flu which is spreading faster than any other flu pandemic. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images) (2009 Getty Images)

A resurgence of the swine flu in Venezuela has killed one person and infected 12 others, said the Venezuelan Health Minister Eugenia Sader.

Authorities are testing a 32-year-old who died Wednesday, and are treating it as a suspicious case, she said. Twelve others tested positive in the southwest state of Merida. One is hospitalized and the others are being treated at home.

Health authorities believe they have isolated the cases and have been administering vaccines, Sader said at a news conference. All of the patients are adults, she said.

The cases were announced earlier by Information Minister Andres Izarra, who said health officials were taking measures to prevent the illness from spreading.

Venezuelan health officials in 2009 attributed dozens of deaths to swine flu and said hundreds of other people were diagnosed. The H1N1 outbreak that year caused worldwide panic, but fears subsided once people realized it didn’t become as widespread as people originally predicted.

The World Health Organization now considers H1N1 a seasonally flue, but has said it expects localized outbreaks.

A swine flu outbreak in Ecuador has killed at least eight people this year and sickened dozens of others.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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