A St. Lucie County man died Monday after being diagnosed with the H1N1 flu virus, St. Lucie County Health Department officials announced today.

The 53-year-old man is the fifth St. Lucie County resident to die after being diagnosed with swine flu, the unique flu strain first identified in April and now widespread throughout Florida and the United States. Most cases of H1N1, which health officials estimate are responsible now for the vast majority of flu-like illnesses, are mild, but people with underlying health conditions are more at risk for complications from the virus.

Health department officials did not release the man’s name, but said he had underlying medical conditions.

Adults with chronic health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, pregnant women, and children and young adults are most at risk for complications from H1N1, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Obesity and smoking, which causes lung problems, also are risk factors for flu complications.

Four other St. Lucie County men — a 23-year-old, a 51-year-old, a 52-year-old and a 49-year-old — have died with swine flu. A 47-year-old Okeechobee woman also died at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute last month with H1N1.

Although every Treasure Coast county has reported an increased number of emergency room visits for flu-like illness and a handful of hospitalizations from swine flu, the only other H1N1-related death in the region came last week when a 36-year-old Indian River County man died with the virus.

Tags: swine flu

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 5:20 pm and is filed under Health, St. Lucie County. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.