Army: FL soldier at SC’s Fort Jackson first in its ranks to die of swine flu related illness

Army: FL recruit death in SC is swine-flu related

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Army says an autopsy shows a soldier from Florida who died while at Fort Jackson in South Carolina passed away from pneumonia caused by the H1N1 flu virus.

Fort Jackson officials said Thursday the death of 23-year-old Spc. Christopher Hogg of Deltona, Fla., is the first such death at the Army’s largest basic training site.

Pentagon officials say they’re trying to confirm details of the case.

Hogg died a week after he was taken to a the hospital with fever and respiratory problems. He was in his fifth week of basic training and would have graduated Oct. 15.

Officials said as of Wednesday, 51 of the Fort Jackson’s 13,000 soldiers had flulike symptoms.