1st Ld: At least one person dies of swine flu in Finland

At least one person has died of swine flu recently in Turku, southern Finland, reported Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat late Friday.

Esa Rintala, senior physician at the infection control unit of the Turku University Hospital, told Helsingin Sanomat that two patients have died of influenza in the hospital recently and at least one of them was infected by the swine flu virus.

He said five patients had been treated in the intensive care since the epidemic was reported in southwestern Finland about two weeks ago. He said the number was larger than usual and therefore he suggested that it is a more dramatic epidemic. Endit