Coachella Valley Man Becomes County's First Flu Victim

PALM SPRINGS - A 30-year-old Coachella Valley man who died this week of influenza-related problems became the first person in Riverside County to die from the bug this flu season, public health officials said today.

The man, who tested positive for the H1N1 strain of influenza, died after being hospitalized. Public health officials are investigating whether he had other health issues that may have contributed to his death, said Jose Arballo Jr. of the Riverside County Department of Public Health.

Whether he got a flu vaccine was unknown, he said.

Arballo said flu rates, for the most part, were...