Swine flu kills 6-year-old Hanford boy

A 6-year-old Hanford boy has died of the H1N1 influenza virus, the Kings County Health Department reported Monday.

The boy was not identified. He had many medical problems, but the H1N1 infection was the main contributor to his death, said Keith Winkler, the county's health director. The boy died Sunday night at Children's Hospital Central California in Madera County. He was admitted to the hospital Oct. 2.

His death is the second one from H1N1 in Kings County. The first death, reported last month, was a retired woman. She was not identified.

Seasonal flu kills 4,000 Californians a year, said Dr. Gil Chavez, director for the Center for Infectious Diseases at the California Department of Public Health. Swine flu has caused 699 people in the state to be hospitalized and led to 80 deaths in California as of July 30.