FRIDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Underscoring the threat that the H1N1 swine flu poses to children, U.S. health officials said Friday that 76 children have died from the disease since it appeared in April, including 19 in the past week alone. Over the last three years, deaths among children from the regular seasonal flu ranged from 46 to 88, Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during an afternoon press conference.
The H1N1 flu is now widespread in 37 states, up from 27 states last week, Schuchat said. And the flu has returned to areas hard hit by the disease last spring, she noted.
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