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Alachua County resident dies of swine flu
By Diane Chun
Staff writer
Published: Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 10:43 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 10:43 a.m.
A 20-year-old woman has died of complications of H1N1 influenza, or swine flu, Alachua County health officials report.
Her name was not released. She was not a student at either the University of Florida or Santa Fe College, according to Paul Myers, assistant director of the county health department.
It is the fourth death in Alachua County to be linked to the novel H1N1 virus.
Myers said that the victim had severe underlying health problems and was hospitalized in early August. She died in late September.
Pre-existing health conditions often play a role in how individuals react to the flu.
"In this case, influenza may not have been the primary cause of death," Myers said, "but it was a contributing factor."