Soldier dies of flu A/H1N1 at Chelyabinsk regional hospital.

Moscow, Jan 24 (Itar-Tass) A Russian soldier of activeservice died on January 21 of flu A/H1N1 (California) at theChelyabinsk regional hospital.

He had been earlier treated at a district militaryhospital, Itar-Tass learnt from spokesman of the publicrelations service of the Russian Defence Ministry.

"On January 13, the type of the disease was confirmedwith laboratory investigations by specialists of theChelyabinsk Centre of Hygiene and Preventive Measures. Doctorsfailed to save the soldier despite measures of intensivetherapy, taken by civil and military medics," the servicenoted.

The public relations service explained that the soldierwas called up for military service on last December 20 fromthe Kemerovo Region.

"It was established during preliminary investigation thatthe servicemen could catch infection at the place of hispermanent residence where cases of such infection wereregistered. Its symptoms may develop in an intensivelyprogressing form after a month of incubation period,"supposed the public relations service.

The ministry reported that "on orders from DefenceMinister Anatoly Serdyukov, a commission of specialists of themain military medicine department of the ministry, led by itschief Alexander Belevitin, was dispatched to the CentralMilitary District to examine sanitary and epidemiologicalsituation in military units and to conduct a range ofpreventive measures in order to stave off mass spread of viraland acute respiratory infections".

It became known on Saturday of the death of anothersoldier from military unit No. 86727 Konstantin Tsybuk. Aprosecution inspection established that on January 15,officer on duty at the unit Igor Gurov, on learning that thestate of health of private Tsybuk deteriorated and thathis temperature was very high, did not report this event tothe commander of the unit and did not take measures to renderskilled medical aid.

As a result, Tsybuk was brought to a medicalestablishment too late, and he died the next day. A criminalcase was instituted against Gurov under the article"Negligence".

According to the latest data, 63 servicemen are treated atthe Chelyabinsk military hospital with the diagnosis"pneumonia".(Itar-Tass)