May 24, 2009 8:00 pm US/Pacific
Woman In 50s 2nd NYC Death Linked To H1N1
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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DNA test kits of the the influenza A(H1N1) or Swine Flu virus prepared by PrimerDesign Ltd are displayed at the company laboratory in Southampton on May 2, 2009.
Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images
A woman in her 50s is New York City's second confirmed death linked to swine flu.
A spokeswoman for the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene says that the woman died over the weekend and had underlying health conditions.
Assistant public school principal Mitchell Wiener became the city's first death from the virus last week.
The city's first outbreak of swine flu occurred about a month ago, when more than 1,000 teenagers at a Catholic high school in Queens began falling ill following the return of several students from vacations in Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak.
Health officials said Saturday that New York had 33 new cases of swine flu, bringing the total confirmed to 366.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines said the total outside New York City rose to 126 in 18 counties around the state, with 14 cases in Erie County, three cases in Rockland County, and one each in Westchester, Niagara, Onondaga counties.
New York City had 13 new cases, bringing the total here to 240.
Most cases of H1N1 virus infection have been mild, with symptoms resembling seasonal flu -- fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and chills. One death in the state was linked to the virus.
Health officials expect laboratory-confirmed cases to be a fraction of the infections in the state because many people don't seek care and recover at home.
Seasonal flu causes about 1,000 New York City deaths a year.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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