Swine flu claims a 2d Mass. resident

By Tara Ballenger, Globe Correspondent

The state health department and the Boston Public Health Commission today confirmed Boston's second swine flu-related death. An 84-year-old man died on June 18 after being hospitalized for six days for flu symptoms. His test results came back today, indicating he was positive for H1N1 influenza, the scientific term for swine flu.

According to a statement released by the Boston Public Health Commission, the man had several health conditions that placed him at high risk for the flu. However, neither his exact conditions nor the hospital where he was treated could be released by the commission because of patient confidentiality.

According the CDC website, people who suffer from asthma, diabetes, chronic lung disease or heart disease, as well as pregnant women can develop severe respiratory illness from exposure to H1N1.

"While we have seen recent evidence of flu-like illness decreasing in Massachusetts, this tragic case underscores that we are still seeing person-to-person spread of the virus," said Massachusetts Department of Public Health commissioner John Auerbach.

A Boston woman in her 30s died from the virus earlier this month.

Officials said there have been 474 confirmed cases of the swine flu in Boston and 1,287 statewide as of June 26.