Death of toddler in Crete attributed to H1N1 virus

A 5-year-old girl who died in the emergency room of Iraklio General Hospital on the island of Crete in the early hours of Monday morning after being transferred there with a high fever has been attributed to the H1N1 flu virus.

The girl contracted the virus and then developed septicimia as a result of complications, the director of Crete's regional health department, Manolis Loumbounis, told state-run Athens-Macedonian News Agency.

Further tests were being carried out to determine whether the girl also contracted meningitis.

Loumbounis referred to an increase in cases of the H1N1 virus this winter, saying that it was quite likely to be a different strain from last year.