The health authorities of Florida on Wednesday reported the third death of A/H1N1 flu in the state.

The victim was a 58-year-old man with a chronic heart problem who died in his home on June 24, becoming the first in Broward County and the third in the state to succumb to the newly emerged A/H1N1 virus, health officials of the US state said late Wednesday.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of this gentleman," said Dr. Paula Thaqi, health department director. "All of us should continue to take precautions to prevent the spread of swine flu and respiratory illnesses."

His death follows a common pattern seen across the country in the A/H1N1 flu cases, in which people with immune systems weakened by chronic lung, heart and other diseases are more susceptible to A/H1N1 flu infections and to serious complications, federal health officials said.

Last Thursday, Florida state health department reported 941 cases and two other deaths, one in Miami and one in the Orlando area, but the outbreak in the sunshine state is considered mild and localized, compared with other states with thousands of infections and more widespread illness, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"We will probably see more hospitalizations and perhaps more deaths involved with this," Scott McPherson, a pandemic expert with the department, has said.

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

(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2009)