El Paso County reports infant death from H1N1

An infant in El Paso County has died of H1N1 flu, the health department announced this afternoon.

“This is very sad news and we want to express our deepest sympathy to the infant’s family,” said Kandi Buckland, executive director of the El Paso County Department of Health and Environment, in a news release.

The baby's death was announced the day before the health department's first public clinic to administer the H1N1 vaccine. The infant's age was not released, so it was unknown whether the baby was eligible for a vaccination. Infants 6 months and younger cannot be vaccinated. The infant was a boy with underlying medical conditions. 

As of last week there were 34 deaths in Colorado. The state does not report deaths by county, but El Paso County has reported at least one previous death.