The states of Washington and Connecticut on Monday reported more deaths caused by the A/H1N1 flu virus in their respective state.
The Washington state department of health on Monday said a man in his 70s died of A/H1N1 flu in King County, bringing the death toll to three in the state.
"This death is a tragic development, and our hearts go out to the family," said Dr. David Fleming, director and health officer for public health - Seattle & King County.
"A/H1N1 flu can have very serious consequences, and we continue to closely monitor the disease," he added.
The Seattle-King County Health Department said on Monday the man died on Thursday and had "multiple underlying health conditions."
The other two deaths involved a Snohomish County man in his 30s died in May and a Tacoma woman in her 20s died earlier this month. Both had underlying health conditions.
The state on Friday reported 584 confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu, most in King County where 524 cases has been confirmed.
Meanwhile, Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut announced on Monday that a woman in her early 40s had become the third A/H1N1 flu fatality in the northern U.S. state.
The hospital said the woman had been admitted to the hospital with respiratory problems and later tested positive for the A/H1N1 virus.
The woman did have a few other health conditions that could have contributed to lowering her body's ability to fight off the A/H1N1 flu, said Dr. Steve Aronin, adding she died Monday morning.
The previous two deaths included a six-year-old boy from New Haven County who died of A/H1N1 virus with underlying medical conditions, and a resident over the age of 50 who became the first person in the state to die from A/H1N1 flu two weeks ago. Last Friday, the state department of health confirmed a total of 637 cases of A/H1N1 flu in the state.
Nationwide, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported 45 deaths of A/H1N1 flu, but local health officials believe the real number could be much higher.
(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2009)
