A 5-month-old Pasco boy is the first confirmed child in the state to die from the swine flu, health officials said.

Dr. Larry Jecha, Benton-Franklin Health District officer, said Wednesday the boy died Monday in Spokane.

Jecha said tests confirmed on Saturday that the boy was suffering from the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, but the virus wasn’t the only factor leading to his death.

“There were serious underlying health conditions, but that does not make the loss any easier for the family or the child’s loved ones,” Jecha said.

Gov. Chris Gregoire offered her condolences to the infant’s family in a written statement Wednesday.

“My heart goes out to the family of this baby,” Gregoire said. “The last thing we want to hear is about the death of any of our residents, but it is especially hard when it is a child. I encourage all Washingtonians to take precautions to keep themselves and their children healthy during the coming months.”

Jecha said during a Benton-Franklin Health District board meeting Wednesday that 44 people have been hospitalized in Benton and Franklin counties since swine flu first appeared in April, with 37 being hospitalized in the last month.

More than half of the state’s 163 hospitalizations and seven deaths reported through Friday, the last day the state Department of Health updated online statistics, have occurred in Eastern Washington, where 93 have been hospitalized and four had died prior to the infant.

Jecha said the baby was the first Tri-City resident to die from the virus.

Swine flu has been different than the flu strains that strike each season in that it has afflicted mainly younger people under 25. Seasonal flu typically strikes the elderly, Jecha said.

Small quantities of a swine flu vaccine are trickling into the Tri-Cities, but the vaccine won’t be available for widespread immunizations until mid-November.

In the meantime, the limited supply of nasal spray vaccine is being distributed to hospitals to immunize health care workers. The first doses of injectable vaccine should arrive this week and will go to OBGYNs to start immunizing pregnant women, deemed one of groups at highest risk for becoming seriously ill from swine flu.

Until the general public can be vaccinated, the health district continues to emphasize preventive measures such as frequent handwashing, covering a cough or sneeze with a tissue or sleeve, and, most importantly, staying home from work or school if sick.

The district also wants residents to think twice before going to an emergency room to ask for swine flu testing or treatment.

Tri-City emergency rooms have been flooded in recent weeks with people wanting to be tested for swine flu or asking for a Tylenol prescription, Jecha said. But in the vast majority of cases, the only treatment for flu — any variety of flu — is to get plenty of rest and fluids.

“Ninety percent of them don’t need (medical treatment),” Jecha said.

The time to seek medical treatment for children is when they’re having trouble breathing, a fever accompanied by a rash, bluish skin color, dehydration and trouble waking up, Jecha said.

If symptoms improve but come back or get worse, that’s also time to go to the doctor, he said.

For adults, symptoms indicating the need for medical treatment are trouble breathing, pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, sudden dizziness, confusion and severe or persistent vomiting.

Typical flu symptoms that may not need medical attention are fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.