The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH), the Pennyrile District Health Department and the Christian County Health Department announced today that the state is reporting two additional deaths related to 2009 H1N1 influenza (swine flu). The deaths involved a Caldwell County teenager with no known health issues and a Christian County woman in her late 20s who had underlying health issues.

Although more than 1,300 deaths associated with H1N1 influenza have been reported nationwide, the severity of H1N1 influenza illness appears comparable to seasonal influenza, which is responsible for about 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The state reported its first swine flu-associated death in early September, involving a Fayette County woman in her 50s who had underlying health conditions. The state's second H1N1-associated death was reported last week, and involved a Jefferson County woman in her 40s with no known health issues.

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