NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. - An Ontario woman from the Niagara Falls area has died after contracting H1N1, following an outbreak in the region, marking the province's third confirmed death from the flu in a little over a week.
Niagara region health spokeswoman Fiona Peacefull says the woman had underlying health conditions, meaning she would have been in one of the high-priority groups to receive the vaccine.
Peacefull says the woman died sometime this week from H1N1 but she could not reveal her age or location due to patient confidentiality.
It is the second death from H1N1 in the Niagara area since the arrival of the flu strain in May. There are currently 119 confirmed cases of H1N1 in the region.
Dr. Robin Williams, medical officer of health in the Niagara region, says she recognizes that H1N1 is in the community, and while generally mild, it can also cause serious illness and death.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is urging healthy residents to allow high-risk groups to get the H1N1 vaccine first as long lines continue to snake around the province's flu clinics.
