L.A. County coroner's office doubts 2 men died of swine flu
The Los Angeles County coroner's office said today that further testing indicated neither of two flu-related deaths being investigated in Los Angeles County appeared to be linked to the swine flu.
Coroner's officials this morning said they suspected the deaths in Long Beach and La Mirada might be tied to the swine flu. But officials said the Long Beach man was not suspected of having the swine flu and that preliminary lab tests indicated the death of a La Mirada man was "not related to swine flu."
More tests are being done, officials said.
Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey said Bellflower Medical Center reported the death of a 33-year-old Long Beach resident Monday afternoon who had symptoms resembling swine flu. The man was taken to the hospital Saturday, complaining of shortness of breath and lymphoma. Doctors later diagnosed the patient with pneumonia, Harvey said.
The second case involves a 45-year-old man from La Mirada, whose death was reported Monday to the coroner's office. The man died April 22 at Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital in Norwalk. Doctors said the man died of pneumonia, but the L.A. County Health Department refused to accept the death certificate signed by the private doctor, Harvey said. The case was then referred to the coroner's office, which will conduct further investigation.
—Andrew Blankstein
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"The man was taken to the hospital Saturday, complaining of shortness of breath and lymphoma."
Lymphoma is cancer. Anyone know if he was supposed to have swollen lymph nodes or something of the like? Or did the man actually have some sort of cancer?
Posted by: Sarah Leach | April 30, 2009 at 08:44 PM