Ecuadorian adviser died of flu

The person in charge of security for the Ecuadorian president - lieutenant colonel John Merino - died of infection with the H1N1 flu virus.

Lieutenant Colonel John Merino died on September 6 after being treated for H1N1 flu for 28 days.

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa shared his condolences with the lieutenant colonel's family. " He is a great gentleman, a professional, a friend and a patriot, " CNN quoted his statement on September 6.

Lieutenant Colonel Merino's body will be taken to Guayaquil city for burial. Ecuador announced that 36 cases have died of H1N1 flu. The country has 1,382 people infected with the virus.

In the past few weeks, two Latin American heads of state have been infected with H1N1 flu. Both of them have recovered. Costa Rica President Oscar Arias got sick for more than 4 weeks ago and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe contracted the flu 10 days ago.