A Russian female medic who had recently returned from Bulgaria is the first victim of the A/H1N1 (swine flu) virus in Russia.

This has been announced Monday by Vesti TV news channel citing a leading Russian virology expert.

Her condition steadily deteriorated over a period of two weeks and she tested positive a day before she died, Darik Radio reported.

"Upon receiving her samples, we immediately diagnosed her with swine flu but could not take any measures because she died the next day", academician Dmitry Lvov, director of the Moscow-based Institute of Virology, said.

The expert did not specify the date of the death, but said the spread of swine flu in Russia was inevitable and unstoppable.

"It is already among us. In my estimate, there are tens of thousands of infected in Russia. I can not prove it right now, but I will have the proof in a couple of weeks", Lvov said.

Russia's chief sanitary official, Gennady Onishchenko, said a week ago a total of 372 cases of A/H1N1 infection, were registered in Russia as of September 16.

World Health Organization report said Friday more than 4 000 people have died from swine flu worldwide, with the total number of officially confirmed cases reaching 295 000.

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