NC health official: H1N1 killed student

BURGAW, N.C. - Health officials say a North Carolina high school student's death earlier this month was the result of the H1N1 virus.

The Star-News of Wilmington reported Wednesday that the Topsail High School student suffered fatal complications from the H1N1 virus. The newspaper said the victim was a 16-year-old girl who died Nov. 6.

The state Health and Human Service Department said flu has been blamed for 58 deaths in North Carolina this year. More than a dozen were attributed to laboratory-confirmed H1N1 virus.

Pender Schools Superintendent Allison Sholar said in a letter to parents that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not recommending school closures for suspected or confirmed cases of flu.