Woman with H1N1 dies

A Buckhannon woman became the latest West Virginia H1N1-related death on Sunday.

A Ruby Memorial Hospital spokeswoman confirmed the death of a woman from Upshur County in her early 50s who had tested positive for H1N1.

The cause of death has not been released, according to Amy Johns, the hospital spokeswoman. Johns would also not release the woman’s identity.

Josh Marsh, local health administrator at the Upshur-Buckhannon Health Department, said his office had not yet received any information from the state health department to confirm that this was the first Upshur County H1N1-related death.

As of Wednesday, November 4, there had been seven H1N1-related deaths in West Virginia since September, according to information available at www.wvflu.org.

There have also been 528 hospitalizations.

That information is normally updated each Wednesday, but due to the Veterans Day holiday it will be updated Thursday of this week, according to spokesman Toby Wagoner.

Statewide, activity for influenza-like illness is widespread and is expected to stay that way through this week, according to Wagoner. That information is also updated regularly at www.wvflu.org.