Twin Cities child first Minn. swine flu-related death

A child in the Twin Cities was Minnesota's first death associated with swine flu, the Minnesota Department of Health reported today. The child also had underlying medical conditions and the flu's role in the child's death is unclear.

More from the Star Tribune:

The child was hospitalized briefly and died last last week, the department said. Laboratory tests subsequently determined that the child had the H1N1 novel influenza.

"For most people, the H1N1 flu is causing mild illness,'' she added, "however, it can still be very serious, especially for people with underlying health conditions. That's why we continue to monitor the situation very closely."

There have been 274 confirmed cases of the flu virus so far in Minnesota. Officials have only tested sampled from hospitals and certain clinics, so that number could be low compared to the number of actual cases that didn't require medical treatment. There have been 45 confirmed deaths nationwide.