First A(H1N1) related death in Malaysia

A 30-year-old Indonesian student became the first Influenza A(H1N1) related fatality here, although the cause of death was not the disease itself.

Initial investigations show that the cause of death was the result of a cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation (irregular heart rhythm), Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said.

The first-year student at the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance, Kuala Lumpur, had other underlying medical conditions.

“Influenza A(H1N1) was not a direct cause of his death,” he told a press conference on Thursday.

The patient went back to Indonesia for a holiday and returned to Malaysia on July 5 and was reported to have been suffering a mild fever and cough, Liow said.