The death toll due to influenza A(H1N1) in the country has gone up to 12 with four new fatalities reported today.

At the same time, a total 1,476 cases have been reported nationwide, with 16 new cases.

NONEDirector-General of Health Dr Ismail Merican said three deaths were reported in Malacca in the last 48 hours while the other was reported in Johor.

The latest victim was a six-year-old boy who had died in Batu Pahat Hospital at 2.30am today.

Just prior to that, three people had succumbed to the deadly virus in Malacca yesterday.

The victims in Malacca were 20, 12 and three-year-old respectively.

Of the 12 victims, four have been from Malacca.

The eight victim was a 51-year-old school teacher from Kuala Selangor who had died last Sunday.

Ismail said the three year-old victim in Malacca had a history of chronic respiratory tract infection. The girl died of severe pneumonia.

"The second victim was a 12-year-old boy with chronic kidney failure. The boy who was undergoing dialysis treatment also died from severe pneumonia," he said in a press statement today.

A 20 year-old man with chronic asthma was the third victim. He too died of severe pneumonia.

The fourth casualty was a six year-old boy who died of severe pneumonia in Batu Pahat Hospital.

Schools closed in Labuan

On the number of new cases reported, Ismail said 1,476 H1N1 cases were reported as of 8am today - 574 imported and 902 local transmissions.

He also said that 1,413 patients had recovered, while 10 were under treatment at the Internal Care Units (ICU) and 28 were receiving antiviral treatment at isolation wards.

Globally, some 193,686 H1N1 cases with 1,361 deaths had been reported in 171 countries.

Meanwhile Bernama quoted Johor exco for Women, Family, Community and Health, Dr Robia Kosai as saying that the six-year-old boy who died had fever for several days.

She said that he had received treatment at a private hospital but was later admitted to Batu Pahat Hospital after his condition deteriorated.

In Labuan, eight new cases of local transmission were reported while three more schools were ordered closed since yesterday.