SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Friday reported one more death case related to the A/H1N1 flu, raising the country's death toll from the new contagious disease to 34.

    According to the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, an 82-year-old woman died on Wednesday after having been infected with the A/H1N1 virus.

    The woman, a resident of Gyeongsang area, began to show flu symptom on Oct. 11, and was admitted to hospital on Oct. 26. She was tested positive for the A/H1N1 flu virus on Tuesday, and then received antiviral treatment. But her health conditions kept deteriorating due to complications such as pneumonia, and died on Wednesday.

    The victim, who has long suffered from chronic cardiovascular disease, was regarded as a "high-risk" patient to the new flu.

    Fears are growing in South Korea recently over the fast spread of the new flu as a daily average of some 4,000 new cases of A/H1N1 was reported last week.

    On Monday, the country reported five death cases linked with the new virus, including three kids, posting the largest number of deaths reported on a single day since the epidemic broke out in the country in early May, and about 20 people have died of the new flu this month alone.

    The country began A/H1N1 vaccination on Tuesday. The first wave of vaccinations mainly covered medical staff and quarantine officers in hospitals designated as A/H1N1 flu-treatment facilities. Vaccinations for elementary, middle and high school students will begin in mid-November, while for preschool children, the elderly and patients with chronic diseases will start in January.

    However, the South Korean government on Tuesday said currently it would not upgrade its pandemic alert for the new virus to the highest level. Minister for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs Jeon Jae-hee said the country is able to deal with the new flu situation with the current measures.

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