A woman from the U.S. state of Alaska recently died of A/H1N1 flu, representing the first such death for an Alaskan, the state's health officials confirmed on Monday.

The woman in her 40s died on July 16 while she was out of state, according to a statement from Alaska's Department of Health and Social Services.

She had underlying medical conditions and died due to complications involving the A/H1N1 flu virus, the statement said.

"This is a sad reminder of how serious influenza infection can be, particularly to persons with underlying medical conditions," Alaska's State Epidemiologist Joe McLaughlin said, noting that most confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu have resulted in mild illness.

Health officials in the state said they are anticipating increased flu activity throughout the nation, including locally, when schools reopen beginning in August.

As of July, 22,272 cases of A/H1N1 flu were confirmed in Alaska by the state's health department.

However, the actual number of people infected with the novel flu virus in Alaska is believed to be much higher, as the state's epidemiologists stopped asking doctors in mid-July to send in samples from mild cases.

Only the most severely affected persons are now being identified and tracked by the state's laboratories.

(Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2009)