Swine flu kills 65-year-old Boston man

By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff

A 65-year-old Boston man with existing health problems died Oct. 31 from swine flu, the 14th person to succumb to the virus in Massachusetts, city health officials said this afternoon.

The man, whose identity was not disclosed because of patient confidentiality laws, was hospitalized Oct. 14 and was described by the Boston Public Health Commission as having "multiple health conditions." People with chronic conditions such as asthma are more likely to suffer serious complications from the H1N1 flu virus.

He is the fifth Boston resident to die from the H1N1 virus. Laboratory test results confirmed that his death was caused by the germ.

While the young have disproportionately been struck by the disease, there is increasing evidence that the virus may prove most lethal in the elderly, whose ability to fight illness is compromised by both age and infirmity. Two of the 14 Massachusetts swine flu victims have now been 65 or older.