A 58-year-old man with diabetes and high blood pressure died in Hong Kong's North District Hospital days after he was found to have contracted A/H1N1 flu, bringing the toll of the epidemic to 66 in the city, health officials announced Sunday.

The man developed fever and cough in the neighboring mainland city of Shenzhen January 10, said a spokesperson of North District Hospital (NDH), adding that the man sought medical treatment in a local hospital there January 16 and was prescribed Tamiflu and antibiotics.

The patient tested positive for the A/H1N1 flu virus January 17 and had been put on ventilator support since January 24.

"Since the condition of the patient had deteriorated, he was transferred to NDH January 27 and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for further treatment. The patient finally succumbed at 1:14 PM February 6," the spokesperson said.

The case has been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Center for Health Protection.

(Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2010)