Wausau child dies from swine flu

Associated Press

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) – A school-age child from Wausau is the fourth person to die of swine flu in Wisconsin.

Marathon County Health Officer Julie Willems Van Dijk said the child died Wednesday at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Marshfield after being hospitalized since Saturday.

She said the child had an underlying medical problem that made the child a higher risk to die from the virus but no other details are being released because of patient confidentiality laws.

The other three deaths from swine flu – two adults and a child – occurred in Milwaukee.

Van Dijk said Marathon County has 51 confirmed cases of swine flu.

State health officials say there are nearly 3,500 confirmed and probable cases in Wisconsin.

The swine flu virus – also called H1N1 – is similar to viruses that cause seasonal influenza.