Florida confirms state's 1st swine flu death

[June 17, 2009]  MIAMI (AP) -- Florida health officials say the state's first swine flu fatality was a 9-year-old Miami-Dade County boy who suffered from asthma.

Fermin Leguen, the chief physician for the county's health department, says the boy was brought to a hospital on June 8 within 24 hours of showing flu-like symptoms. The boy died at the hospital the next day.

The doctor says it took health officials a week to test tissue samples and confirm he had the swine flu virus.

The boy died about four days after he was last in school. Neither his name nor the name of his school have been released.

State health officials say Florida currently has 417 confirmed cases of the swine flu virus, including 143 in Miami-Dade County.

[Associated Press]

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