El Salvador has confirmed its first swine flu death, according to AP. A federal health department statement released today says a 9-year-old boy died of respiratory problems from the virus in a private hospital in the capital of San Salvador. He died Wednesday and the cause of death was later confirmed. Universities and schools in the capital are closed to combat swine flu, which has quickly spread south after an initial outbreak in Mexico in April. Salvadoran health officials have reported 51 new swine flu cases in the past week. The country has confirmed 277 the cases to date.
