The provincial government has confirmed that a second person in British Columbia has died of swine flu.

The latest victim was from the Interior Health region, according to an information bulletin issued by the government today (July 21).

“Two laboratory-confirmed H1N1 cases in B.C. are reported to have died,” the 4 p.m. update states. “Another death in the province has been associated with H1N1 influenza but was not laboratory-confirmed.”

On July 13, a young child from the Fraser Health region became the first known person in B.C. to die from swine flu.

Since July 14, 52 new cases of swine flu have been confirmed in the province.

Thirty-two of these new cases are in the Fraser Health region and three are in Vancouver Coastal Health, while 11 are on Vancouver Island and six are in Interior Health.

In B.C., 434 people have tested positive for swine flu.

According to the bulletin, the “vast majority” of cases have been “mild cases with patients either recovered or currently recovering”.

Interior Health serves a vast area that includes Kelowna, Kamloops, Cranbrook, Penticton, and Vernon.

On June 11, the World Health Organization raised its alert level to phase 6, declaring the swine flu outbreak a pandemic.

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