H1N1 confirmed in at least 3 Harris deaths

The first three deaths from H1N1 virus have been confirmed in Houston, officials with the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences said Friday.

Test results returned Friday that showed the cause of death for three men, ages 45, 50 and 53, was the H1N1 influenza virus, said the agency's spokeswoman Tricia Bentley. One man died Nov. 28, another died the next day and the last man died on Dec. 9.

Two of the three had significant underlying health conditions including hypertensive cardiovascular disease and obesity, she said.

People with underlying health conditions are at more risk of developing complications from the flu, including death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The death confirmations come after Montgomery County officials confirmed their second case of H1N1 virus earlier this week. The unidentified patient is being treated at an area hospital, spokeswoman Jennifer Nichols-Contella said in a written statement. Officials are also performing further testing in six other cases, including the deaths of four people who suffered flu-like symptoms.

Texas public health officials say every region of the state, including Montgomery and Harris counties, is seeing intense flu activity this season, which could result, as in past years, in at least several hundred deaths.

In Harris County, hospital emergency room visits for flu-like symptoms are at a five-year high.