NYC School Official Dies From Swine Flu

An assistant principal in New York has become the sixth person to die from swine flu in the US, reports the New York Post. Mitchell Wiener, 55, fell ill more than week ago, but didn't seek medical help until his symptoms became severe, officials said. His school was shut last week as several students became ill. His death late yesterday came as five more Queens schools were closed—bringing the city's total to 11—after dozens of students reported flu-like symptoms.

"We think it will help stop transmissions throughout the city," Mayor Mike Bloomberg said of the closures. His handling of the crisis was criticized by the city's comptroller, who’s running for mayor. "We went from 'This is a crisis' to 'Don't pay attention' to 'OK, it's a crisis again,'" he said.
(More swine flu stories.)