Man, 63, in ICU

NEW CASES: 56

TOTAL CASES: 1,111

A 63-year-old man - one of 56 new H1N1 cases reported here yesterday - is now in the Intensive Care Unit of Tan Tock Seng Hospital, after suffering complications such as pneumonia and heart disease.

He had sought emergency treatment on Sunday, three days after flu-like symptoms emerged, and was isolated immediately.

After H1N1 was confirmed, he began Tamiflu antiviral treatment that night, but was transferred to the ICU yesterday morning due to multiple existing conditions such as coronary heart disease, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia (high levels of fat in the blood).

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said last night his condition was being monitored closely.

Another member of the Asian Youth Games contingent has also tested positive for H1N1. A 40-year-old Indonesian man developed symptoms last Thursday and was treated by the team's doctor. He went to the AYG Medical Centre three days later.

Two of his contacts were issued Home Quarantine Orders and are currently well; the man was not in close contact with any of the athletes.

Thirteen in 100 cases of influenza-like illness are now of the H1N1 strain, according to bio-surveillance data from local clinics and hospitals.

"As observed in other countries, this proportion will grow as the virus spreads further in the community, and displaces other influenza strains," said the MOH.

Meanwhile, Veredus Laboratories announced that it had developed a chip that can identify and differentiate among all human sub-types of Influenza A and B.

The portable chip can detect in two hours what previously took weeks to learn. Veredus chief executive Rosemary Tan said the next step is to enable the chip to check for drug resistance in the H1N1 strain as it mutates.