First Delawarean dies of H1N1

A woman who had underlying health problems is the first Delawarean to die from H1N1.

A 35-year-old woman from Kent County is Delaware’s first death from the H1N1 flu.  State health officials say the woman, who had a number of underlying health problems, died Thursday morning.  After initially being hospitalized in Delaware on October 12, she was later transferred to a Maryland hospital where she died.

Director of the Delaware Division of Public Health Karyl Rattay says while the news is saddening, it’s also a reminder of how the danger posed by H1N1.  “This news is a reminder that while in many cases the flu can be mild, in some cases the flu can be serious, even life threatening.”

Numbers from the Centers for Disease Control show nearly 300 deaths nationwide related to both H1N1 and seasonal flu since the end of August.

For the week of October 11-17, there were 191 new cases of H1N1 in Delaware.  11 of those cases were serious enough to require hospitalization.  10 of those have since left the hospital, the 11th patient was the Kent County woman who died.

Health officials have also updated the number of H1N1 flu cases in the state as of last week.  349 people contracted H1N1 during the week of October 4-10, not the 179 health officials originally reported.