The Hawai‘i State Department of Health has confirmed the first swine flu fatality, saying H1N1 likely contributed to underlying medical conditions that caused the death of an adult in his/her late 60s on June 19 at Tripler Army Medical Center.

The O‘ahu resident is the first death in Hawai'i associated with the new flu strain, the Health Department said in a statement.
Health officials declined to release any information about the patient's medical condition or identification, citing patient privacy considerations and federal law.
The first hospitalization of an adult with novel H1N1 influenza within the state was confirmed on June 27.
The O‘ahu resident with underlying health issues developed pneumonia as a complication of their H1N1 infection. The individual is responding to treatment and recovering in the hospital.
“These two new severe cases of novel H1N1 are a sad reminder of the seriousness of influenza, particularly for those at-risk for complications,” said Dr. Sarah Park, chief of the DOH Disease Outbreak Control Division. “Unfortunately, we knew this would happen eventually, as we have flu-related deaths and hospitalizations every year from regular seasonal influenza.”