New Zealand's first influenza A/ H1N1-related death was confirmed on Saturday with the Ministry of Health reported three deaths linked to the virus.

The Chief Coroner has confirmed that two people have died, with their deaths linked to influenza A/H1N1. A 19 year-old man died on June 28 in North Island city of Hamilton. And a 42 year-old man died on Thursday, July 2, in the South Island city of Christchurch, with underlying medical conditions.

The Coroner considers it is strongly probable that the H1N1 virus was a major factor in the deaths of both men.

In the third case, Capital and Coast District Health Board has advised that a young girl, with underlying medical conditions, died on Saturday morning in Wellington Hospital. She had earlier tested positive to influenza A/H1N1.

Minister of Health Tony Ryall on Saturday expressed condolences to each of those families and said influenza A/H1N1 was in New Zealand for quite some time and it was continuing to spread throughout the community.

"But there is no cause for alarm," he added.

Mark Jacobs, director of Public Health, said, "There is no need to change our management approach at this stage but we remain vigilant. For most New Zealanders, influenza A/H1N1 will be a mild illness, but in some instances, the infection can cause more severe illness and in a few tragic instances, death."

The total number of influenza A/H1N1 confirmed cases in New Zealand was 945 on Saturday, up from 912 on Friday.

Among the confirmed cases, Wellington stood at 292, Auckland at 202 and South Island's Canterbury region at 230.

Two people with the virus were critically ill in the intensive care unit at Auckland hospital, while a 30-year-old woman in Wellington Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

(Xinhua News Agency July 4, 2009)