Yukon girl dies from swine flu complications

The Yukon hasseen its first death related to the H1N1 influenza virus, officials confirmed Monday.

A young girl from the territory who had a chronic medical condition died Sunday evening in a Vancouver hospital. Tests confirmed the girl had the swine flu virus.

"It's difficult for me to elaborate in too much detail, to protect the family in their moments of grief," Dr. Brendan Hanley, the territory's medical officer of health, said Monday.

"She was being treated for pneumonia, though, as her main complication of the influenza."

The girl, whom Hanley has previously described as being of school age, was flown to a pediatric intensive care unit in Vancouver on Oct. 26.

As of Friday, 95 Canadians have died of the swine flu virus, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Eighty per cent of flu-related deaths involved patients with underlying medical conditions.

Hanley said the H1N1 virus has been "circulating widely" in the Yukon for the past two weeks.

While most of the cases so far have been mild,four otherpeople have been hospitalized within the territory. Hanley said one person has been treated and released, and the other three are still recovering.

The Yukonbegan its fluimmunization program last week, prompting long lineups at the Canada Games Centre in Whitehorse and other clinic venues across the territory.

All Yukoners over age six months are being encouraged to get vaccinated for both the H1N1 and seasonal flu viruses. Both shots are being offered during the immunization program.