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Officials confirm Eaton County death from swine flu
Midday update
Heather Lockwood ? hlockwood@lsj.com ? July 24, 2009 ? From LSJ.com
UPDATED 1:40 PM -- CHARLOTTE -- An Eaton County man has died from complications of pandemic influenza, the Barry-Eaton District Health Department reported today.
Nine people have died in Michigan from complications of pandemic influenza, commonly referred to as swine flu, in Michigan, according to a death tally on the state?s swine flu Web site.
The man died between July 14 and July 21, said Robert Schirmer, medical director for the Barry-Eaton District Health Department. The state Web site is updated once weekly, which is why the exact date of death is unknown, he said.
It also is unclear whether other recent cases of the swine flu have been reported in the county, Schirmer said, because the state is no longer tracking confirmed cases.
At last count, there were 655 cases statewide, according to the state?s Web site. No deaths from swine flu have been reported in Clinton or Ingham counties, according to the state Web site.
Influenza is passed from one person to another, primarily through coughing and sneezing. A person can spread the flu to others within seven days after becoming sick.
Though cases across the state have been ?waning,? Schirmer said, ?more evidence of the strain in the community? could become apparent when school resumes in the fall.
Read Saturday's Lansing State Journal for more on this report.