A 20-year-old man with leukaemia and human swine flu died at Pok Oi Hospital yesterday.

He came down with flu symptoms December 1 and was hospitalised for isolation treatment.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Health Protection said today it is too early to say whether Hong Kong has entered the second wave of swine flu, although the latest surveillance indicators have shown a slight rise in swine flu activity.

In the week beginning November 22 there were 135 flu detections, up from 60 the previous week. Of them, 93% involved the swine flu virus. Attendance due to flu-like illness at designated flu clinics grew to 1,432, from 786. At private clinics the attendance was at 50.2 per 1,000 consultations, up from 44.8.

Twelve flu-like illness outbreaks were also reported, compared to eight the previous week.

Meanwhile, a study of 269 virus isolates including those from 29 local fatal cases has revealed four more cases with the same mutation as found in Norway recently, which included two fatal ones bringing to five the total number of Norwegian mutations detected by the centre in Hong Kong. The gene sequence from the other 27 fatal cases did not show the same mutation.

The two fatal cases involved a 37-year-old Filipina who came to Hong Kong June 28 and died July 27, and a 40-year-old woman who died September 9. The other three patients have recovered.

There are 106 confirmed swine flu patients now staying in public hospitals for treatment, with 87 in stable condition, five serious and 14 critical.