PHOENIX — A woman in Arizona suffering from a lung condition has apparently become the fourth person in the nation to die with swine flu.
The Maricopa County Health Department said Thursday that the woman, in her late 40s, died last week of complications of the new strain of influenza. The case would bring the number of swine flu deaths in the nation to four and put the worldwide death toll at 70, with an estimated 6,672 cases in 33 countries.
Meanwhile, New York City on Thursday closed three schools in response to a swine flu outbreak that has left an assistant principal in critical condition and sent hundreds of kids home with flu symptoms.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that four students and the assistant principal have documented cases of swine flu at a Queens middle school. More than 50 students have flulike symptoms, he said. At another middle school in Queens, 241 students were absent Thursday. Dozens more were sick at an elementary school.
On Thursday, vaccine makers and other experts met at the World Health Organization to discuss the tough decisions that must be made quickly to fight the evolving virus.
Pharmaceutical companies are ready to begin making a swine flu vaccine — but as the virus may mutate, questions remain: How much should be produced? How will it be distributed? The experts’ recommendations will be passed to WHO director-general Margaret Chan.
