A 56-year old man from the Kingdom of the Netherlands has been listed as the 31^st death caused by the H1N1 virus in Costa Rica since December. According to a news report filed by Angela Avalos of daily newspaper La Nacion, the announcement of the death was made by Minister of Public Health Fernando Llorca on Wednesday afternoon.

The Dutch tourist passed away at a private hospital in San Jose, the capital city. He had been admitted nearly a month ago after he entered Costa Rica from Nicaragua. He showed symptoms of respiratory ailment as he entered the country; his condition would later deteriorate, thereby requiring hospitalization.

As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, most of the H1N1 fatalities have taken place in the northern region of the country; specifically at the San Carlos hospital operated by La Caja, Costa Rica’s public healthcare provider. Many of the victims showed health complications, such as obesity and heart disease, but this does not seem to have been the case in relation to the Dutch traveler.

Health officials in Costa Rica insist that the swine flu virus happens to be undergoing a “special season,” but that there is no indication that the pandemic of 2009-2010 will repeat itself. The public health system plans to acquire a million vaccination doses and begin immunizations in April, per recommendations by the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This has not stopped some vendors in Costa Rica from offering northern hemisphere influenza A vaccines, particularly to North American expats, ahead of the immunization schedule.

The departed Dutch tourist was traveling with his wife, who was also diagnosed with swine flu. Fortunately, the woman’s infection was not as severe and she was able to recover.

The Ministry of Public Health has initiated the protocols to return the decedent to his native Kingdom.