Florida health officials said on Tuesday that a 19-year-old woman had died of the A/H1N1 flu in Orange County as the sixth victim of the virus in the state.

"We continue to emphasize the risk of A/H1N1 flu to the community," said Dr. Kevin Sherin, director of the Orange County Health Department.

"We will, unfortunately, continue to expect more swine flu (A/H1N1 flu) in our communities in Central Florida and more deaths from the disease," he said.

The young woman was visiting the Orlando area from Pennsylvania, according to local health officials. She was hospitalized in Orlando prior to her death.

The officials also said the woman had an undisclosed pre-existing medical condition.

Sherin said it was unusual to have flu cases this late in the summer. "This is not a normal season," he said.

Sherin said one-third of cases submitted for tests at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were confirmed of the A/H1N1 flu strain.

"In Orange County, of more than 400 samples taken from people who exhibited flu-like symptoms, 180 tested positive for A/H1N1 virus," he said.

Last Thursday, Florida reported 1,302 confirmed and probable cases of A/H1N1 flu, with five deaths in the southeast U.S. state to the CDC.

Nationwide, the CDC has reported 170 deaths in 23 states and 33,902 confirmed and probable cases of A/H1N1 flu in all the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and U.S. territory Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.

"This is a global pandemic. It's everywhere. The public should assume that it's everywhere and take precautions," Sherin said.

Source: Xinhua