COLOMBO, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan health authorities on Sunday confirmed the island nation's first death from the H1N1 flu virus.

"A 16-year old boy died of H1N1 on Thursday," Paba Palihawadana, head of epidemiological unit at the health ministry, told Reuters. "He had a chronic chest problem and then got infected by H1N1."

Sri Lankan educational authorities last week closed down schools in the northwestern district of Kurunagala after some students were detected with the H1N1 virus flu.

The country reported its first H1N1 flu case on June 16 [ID:nCOL493967] and more than 100 people have tested positive for the flue, since then. (Reporting by Ranga Sirilal and Shihar Aneez; editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

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