Second Fatal Queens Flu Victim Worries Community

With the death of a 50-something Queens woman attributed to swine flu (though she did apparently have an underlying health condition as well), City Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Queens) told the Daily News, "At this point, I don't know anybody who doesn't know someone who's gotten sick in the past few weeks - at least among people with kids. We're anxious to learn the details of this latest death." Mayor Bloomberg issued a statement about the woman's passing, "My father also died in his 50s because of an underlying health condition. I remember how hard that was on my mother, my sister and me, and my thoughts and prayers are with this woman’s family." The Department of Health, which says there are 280 confirmed cases, is urging anyone with underlying health conditions, such as diabetes and asthma, plus flu symptoms to call a doctor. The NY Times adds that the number of people hospitalized with swine flu in NYC "had risen to 94 on Sunday from 68 Saturday and 57 on Friday, health department officials said, suggesting that the rate of infection and hospitalization might be increasing."