9 Aug 2010

Woman dies after contracting swine flu

4:00 pm on 9 August 2010

A woman has died in Christchurch after contracting swine flu.

The 44-year-old is the third person in New Zealand to die from the virus this year.

The woman had underlying health issues, as did a Northland man who died in July.

New Zealand's first swine flu victim this year was a 48-year-old Tauranga woman.

Last year, 35 people died after contracting the H1N1 virus.

The virus emerged last year from the United States and Mexico.