North Carolina health officials on Wednesday reported the second death and 76 new cases of A/H1N1 flu for the past week, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 255.

The state department of health and human services said the second victim had died with a link to the A/H1N1 flu virus, but did not disclose any other details.

Last Thursday, the state health department reported the first death and a total of 179 confirmed cases of the A/H1N1 flu in the state to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Nationwide, the CDC reported combined 27,717 confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and U.S. territory Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands, with 127 deaths in 22 states.

Most of the confirmed cases in North Carolina have involved children, said Shirley Steele, nursing supervisor for the health department.

There are several varieties of flu that have been spreading across the state, said local officials. Currently, North Carolina has both seasonal flu and the A/H1N1 flu cases, they added.

Source: Xinhua