United Kingdom marks fifth swine flu death

LONDON, July 6 (UPI) -- The National Health Service in London says a 9-year-old girl has become the fifth swine flu sufferer to die in the United Kingdom.

An unidentified NHS London spokesman confirmed the young London girl, whose identity was not reported, had significant underlying health problems in addition to having the H1N1 influenza virus, the BBC reported Monday.

The girl's death during the weekend followed the death last week of a 19-year-old London man who also had the swine flu and underlying health problems.

As of Friday, there were more than 1,900 cases of the swine flu in London alone.

The NHS London spokesman reminded the public the swine flu is typically not fatal, but added any signs of infection should prompt a visit to a doctor.

"However, some people may be more susceptible to the virus," the health official said. "If you have flu-like symptoms it's important that you talk to your doctor if you are pregnant, very young, over-65 or have long-term conditions such as asthma or diabetes."

As of Monday, the World Health Organization said it had recorded 429 swine flu deaths worldwide among 94,512 cases confirmed since the outbreak began in April. The death toll includes 170 in the United States, 119 in Mexico, where the outbreak started, 60 in Argentina and 25 in Canada.