Swine Flu Claims 12th Victim In Mass.

A 55-year-old woman from Middlesex County has died from H1N1 swine flu, the first victim of the virus in Massachusetts this fall and the 12th this year.

State epidemiologist Al DeMaria said the death underscores the threat posed by both the H1N1 virus and the seasonal flu.

“Seasonal flu is bad enough,” he said at a news conference Friday. “If you can have this kind of issue with H1N1 and it’s behaving the same as seasonal influenza, then that’s something to take seriously, as well.”

Like most people who die of the flu, the latest victim had underlying health problems.

Meanwhile, the first batch of vaccine for the H1N1 swine flu is expected to start arriving next week, but supplies are smaller than health officials had anticipated.