TOKYO - A Japanese man infected with swine flu died Saturday, becoming the country's first fatality linked to the virus, an official said.
While the man in his 50s, from the southern island of Okinawa, had swine flu, he died of pneumonia, Okinawan health official Kaoru Ohshiro said. Most swine-flu related deaths have occurred with patients who also had other ailments.
"He became Japan's first swine flu-related death," Ohshiro said.
Prime Minister Taro Aso urged the public to be on full alert.
"The government is doing its utmost" to tackle the spread of swine flu, Aso said in a statement, according to the Kyodo News agency. "I urge the public to be cautious but to act calmly," he said.
The Okinawan man also suffered from chronic kidney disease and heart problems, Ohshiro said. The official declined to say whether the man's family members were infected with swine flu.
The health ministry said Saturday more than 7,300 Japanese have been infected with swine flu.
According to the World Health Organization, there were 177,457 cases of swine flu and 1,462 deaths around the world as of Aug. 12.
