An infant and an elderly man are confirmed to have died as a result of contracting swine flu, Saskatchewan health officials announced Thursday.
The two died some time in the last two weeks, but additional details about the cases were held back.
The province's chief medical health officer, Dr. Moira McKinnon, said both the child and the older person had underlying medical conditions.
"What we're concerned about with this particular influenza virus, it does two things, it pushes those with underlying diseases but also has that effect on young people and they get what's called a primary viral pneumonia," McKinnon said. "They get sick from the virus itself not from their conditions being pushed a bit, so it affects both groups."
McKinnon said the H1N1 virus has not yet peaked in Saskatchewan, so more deaths can be expected.
The number of deaths associated with swine flu in Saskatchewan, including the two cases reported Thursday, comes to seven.
The province also announced Thursday that it is expanding the H1N1 vaccination program to students in grades seven to 12.
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