Utah reports four swine flu deaths

SALT LAKE CITY, June 15 (UPI) -- Two new deaths in Salt Lake County have bought to four the number of fatal cases linked to the H1N1 virus in Utah, authorities said.

The most recent deaths, one Friday and the other Saturday, involved two adults between the ages of 25 and 50, Pam Davenport, a spokesman for the county health department told The Salt Lake Tribune in a story published Monday.

The victims' names and gender were not publicly released, though family members of Francine Rushton, 47, identified her as the person who died Saturday, the Tribune reported.

Rushton fell ill about two weeks ago but initially was told it was not H1N1, despite Rushton's mother being diagnosed with H1N1 that same week, said Craig Whitehead, Rushton's brother.

Rushton tested negative, "so they sent her home and told her to get fluids and rest," Whitehead said. Rushton's third test, taken a week after she fell ill, came back positive for H1N1, Whitehead said, adding their mother has managed to recover from her flu.

Nationwide, 45 people have died from H1N1 so far this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.