A Hamilton man is the first person to die in Ohio from the swine flu.
The virus, also known as H1N1, is still spreading around the world.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 127 people have died from swine flu in the US since it first appeared here in April and some 3,000 others have been hospitalized.
But, the CDC says tens of thousands more have had the H1N1 virus and never even knew it.
The symptoms are like the seasonal flu and are most often, mild.
The Hamilton man who died was only in his 40s.
Dr. William Karwisch, Hamilton's Director of Public Health, says he – like most of those who've died from the virus – had underlying health conditions.
"It's conditions such as asthma, chronic lung disease, heart disease, diabetes,” said Dr. Karwisch. “And we're finding that pregnant women are actually having more difficult, severe cases than the rest of the population.”
To put H1N1, or swine flu, in perspective, some 3,000 people die every year in Ohio from the seasonal flu and this is the first Ohio death from H1N1.
But what's so concerning about swine flu is that its victims are often younger.
The median age of those who've died is 37-years-old.
