RABAT, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- A pregnant woman has died in Morocco after contracting the H1N1 virus, local media reported on Tuesday.
Citing an official source, the news site Medias24.com said the 34-year-old woman died at the International Cheikh Khalifa Hospital in Casablanca.
The patient entered the hospital on Thursday, but her condition worsened on Saturday afternoon and a caesarean section was performed to retrieve the baby who is currently being treated for neonatology (under incubator and artificial ventilation), the same source pointed out.
The Moroccan Health Ministry on Monday announced that "cases of the seasonal H1N1 virus are nothing to worry about and the epidemiological situation is stable."
In a statement, the ministry said that "the national system of vigilance and epidemiological surveillance annually records contamination cases of 'H1N1' virus during the cold season, like all other countries over the world."
The ministry added that vaccination remains the most effective prevention against the disease, and called on all citizens to be immunized, especially pregnant women, children between six months and five years old, elderly people aged 65 and older, and those with chronic diseases.
According to the ministry, Morocco recorded its first two cases of H1N1 contamination on June 12, 2009.
