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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 11:52 a.m., Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Coroner rules out swine flu in one California death

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Swine flu has been ruled out as the cause of one of two recent deaths being investigated by the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

Coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter said today that swine flu was not found in a La Mirada man.

Winter says lab testing is pending in the case of a Long Beach man but swine flu is now not suspected.

Both deaths were reported to the coroner's office yesterday.

If swine flu is confirmed in the second death, it would be the first in the United States.

The Los Angeles Times said a Bellflower hospital reported the death of a 33-year-old Long Beach man who was brought in Saturday with symptoms resembling swine flu.

The man was taken to the hospital complaining of shortness of breath and lymphoma, a type of cancer, and doctors later diagnosed him with pneumonia.

The other death was a 45-year-old La Mirada man who died April 22 at Coast Plaza Doctor's Hospital in Norwalk, according to the Times. Doctors said the man died of pneumonia, but the county health department refused to accept the death certificate and referred the case to the coroner's office, the Times said.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency today to help California agencies coordinate efforts in response to the outbreak of swine flu. However, he cautioned that "there is no need for alarm."

"We are taking strong and swift action to limit the spread of the virus and to minimize its effects," Schwarzenegger said at a news conference.

California has 11 confirmed cases of swine flu, said Dr. Mark Horton, director of the state Department of Public Health.