Five more people in Taiwan have died of flu complications since last weekend, bringing the total number of flu-related deaths on the island since last July to 36. Taiwan's health authorities said Tuesday that four of the five people who died had suffered from chronic diseases, including diabetes and hypertension, and another 14-year-old Taiwanese had no chronic illness. None of the five had been vaccinated against influenza, authorities said, adding that some of them died from respiratory failure, septic shock and multi-organ failure, after developing pneumonia. The department authorized 286 hospitals across the island to offer free anti-flu drugs, Xinhua reported.
