Japan logs 3rd death from A/H1N1 flu

TOKYO, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- A woman in her 80s from the central city of Nagoya has died of A/H1N1 flu, the third confirmed death in Japan from the disease, Kyodo News reported Wednesday.

A man in Okinawa Prefecture Saturday became Japan's first new flu-linked fatality while a man in Kobe became the second on Tuesday.

The number of influenza patients in the country, most of whom are believed to have been infected with the new flu strain, had almost reached a level indicative of an epidemic, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases said Tuesday.

It is estimated the total number of flu patients in Japan has reached about 60,000.