Two patients infected with both influenza A (H1N1) virus and dengue fever have died in Hanoi, Nguyen Hong Ha, deputy head of the National Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, said on Wednesday.

The nation’s first two patients with the combination of swine flu and dengue detected early this month had also been treated at the institute. They have been discharged after full recovery.

According to the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) so far has reported seven cases with both dengue fever and swine flu with one death in Barbados, an island in the West Indies.

Vietnam has so far recorded 41 deaths related to swine flu since May. A 16-year-old girl who was six-months pregnant in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang was the latest victim, the ministry reported.

The ministry’s Preventive Health and Environment Department said a meeting on H1N1 vaccines distribution among eight Southeast Asian countries will be held Thursday in Bangkok.

The 1.2 million doses of vaccines that WHO will sponsor for Vietnam are expected to arrive next month.

The US will support the countries with syringes and training for H1N1 vaccination campaigns, the department said.

In the meantime, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Vietnam Company has applied for a license to import and distribute the vaccines, according to the Drug Administration of Vietnam, which also said all procedures will be completed as soonest possible.

Vietnam plans to import 500,000 doses of the vaccines as a preventive measure for high-risk population segments like pregnant women and patients with chronic diseases.

Source: Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre