New York principal`s death linked to flu virus, hospital says
An New York middle school assistant principal who was hospitalized with the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, died Sunday apparently from flu complications, a hospital spokesman said.
Mitchell Wiener, 55, assistant principal at Intermediate School 238 in Queens, died at 6:17 p.m. Sunday, Flushing Hospital spokesman Andrew Rubin said.
"We believe he had complications of the swine flu," Rubin told CNN Radio, adding that once Wiener was admitted to the hospital, he was listed in critical condition. However, he wouldn`t say whether Rubin had any pre-existing medical conditions.
"It is with great sadness tonight that we learn that New York has lost one of its residents to an illness related to H1N1," New York Gov. David Paterson said.
Last week, when city and state officials announced that four students were infected and a school official in Queens was "critically ill" with the virus, Mayor Michael Bloomberg did not name the official. He described the staffer as an assistant principal who "may have had other health problems."
"We`re trying to identify that and ascertain whether those problems were exacerbated by the flu or whether it`s totally unrelated," Bloomberg said at the time.
Since the H1N1 outbreak surfaced last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Prevention has linked four U.S. deaths to the virus: A Washington state man with heart problems who died from flu complications; an Arizona woman with lung disease; a Mexican toddler who was visiting with her family and a pregnant woman who had been on life support since April. All had preexisting medical problems
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