HAUPPAUGE – Suffolk County Health Services Commissioner Humayun Chaudhry announced the deaths last week of two residents confirmed to have had novel H1N1 Influenza A virus.

A man between the ages of 35 and 45 with a serious underlying medical condition was hospitalized two weeks ago for multiple medical problems, including pneumonia. He died on June 10.  

A woman between the ages of 55 and 65 with multiple underlying medical conditions developed a fever, dry cough and a sore throat on June 6. On June 8 she visited her doctor, who sent a nasopharyngeal (nose and throat) specimen to test for novel H1N1 Influenza A and prescribed medication for a presumed respiratory infection. Though the woman reported feeling better the next morning, she died that same day, June 9. 

The New York State Department of Health has confirmed that both individuals had the novel H1N1 Influenza A virus.  The Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office is awaiting results of an autopsy it completed on Friday to determine if the virus caused or contributed to the woman's death.   

Though both of the deceased lived in the Town of Brookhaven, they came from different villages, and their deaths are not linked.  Neither individual worked in a school.  

There have been, as of today, 81 confirmed cases of novel H1N1 Influenza A virus in Suffolk County since the pandemic began on April 26, 2009.  All of the confirmations have been made by the New York State Department of Health. Most of those confirmed to have the virus have recovered or are recovering.

Elsewhere, Orange County officials reported that a 48-year-old woman from neighboring Pike County, PA, who had tested positive for swine flu, died at a Port Jervis hospital Sunday.  The woman also had an underlying medical condition.