HOUSTON, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The New Jersey health authorities on Wednesday reported that in the past week the death toll from the A/H1N1 flu virus had risen to 10 with 130 new cases, bringing the total cases to 1,289 in the state.

    Tom Slater, spokesman for the state Department of Health and Senior Services, said the latest victim was a 30-year-old woman who died on July 1 at a hospital in Camden County. She had underlying health conditions but further details were not disclosed.

    In the October to March flu season, New Jersey typically experiences between 1,400 and 1,900 deaths related to flu or pneumonia, Slater said.

    "With influenza, which is a serious illness, even during a seasonal influenza season, we do see deaths," he said.

    "The important thing that we're doing is continuing to see how the A/H1N1 virus is reacting in the southern hemisphere, and in the United States, so we can get an idea of how it will affect us in the fall," Slater said.

    The state health department reports A/H1N1 statistics every Wednesday to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

    Last Wednesday, the department said there had been nine deaths as well as 1,159 confirmed and probable cases of the A/H1N1 flu in the state.

    Statistics released by the department show that Essex and Middlesex are the two hardest-hit counties, with 97 and 101 confirmed and probable cases respectively. Both counties have reported one death each.

    But the New Jersey health department said that the cumulative number of "confirmed" cases does not reflect the overall incidence of A/H1N1 flu in the state as it is only testing cases in which patients are hospitalized or where there are clusters of the illness.

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