The Connecticut health authorities on Thursday announced the second death linked to infection with the A/H1N1 virus, Xinhua reported.
The victim was a six-year-old boy from New Haven County who had underlying medical conditions that increased the risk for serious illness from influenza, according to a press release from the state pubic health department.
"There is no greater loss than the death of a child, and our deepest sympathies go out to this child's parents and family," said Dr. J. Robert Galvin, Commissioner of the department, in a statement.
Last week, the department announced that a resident over the age of 50 had become the first person in the state to die from A/H1N1 flu.
"Though the cases of A/H1N1 flu in Connecticut have largely been mild, this death underscores the seriousness of influenza and the devastating impact it can have," Dr. Galvin said.
The department on Thursday confirmed a total of 637 cases of A/H1N1 flu in the state, almost doubling the figure of 395 released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last Friday.
Laboratory-confirmed cases represent only a fraction of the likely number of cases in the state because many persons with mild symptoms do not seek care from a doctor or hospital but recover at home, the department explained.
"Illness from H1N1 influenza continues to occur in Connecticut," stated Dr. Galvin.
But state health officials noted that the announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise the pandemic threat level on the novel A/H1N1 virus was expected and does not change what state and local health department's have been doing in Connecticut to prepare for and respond to A/H1N1 flu.
The WHO pandemic phase designation is based on geographic spread of the influenza virus, not on the severity of the illness, they said.
The state health department continues to ask residents to take precautions to prevent getting the flu or spreading it by staying home from work or school if they are sick, washing their hands frequently, and coughing or sneezing into their sleeve or a tissue.
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