Hildreth man 7th H1N1 death

HILDRETH, Neb. - A Hildreth man has died due to complications from the H1N1 flu virus.

David Schenk, 47, died Friday at Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital in Hastings.

A press release from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services identified him only as "a man from south-central Nebraska in his 40s with chronic underlying health conditions including cardiac disease."

Schenk's family confirmed that he died of H1N1.

HHS listed three other H1N1 deaths in Sarpy, Lancaster and Douglas counties.

Schenk was a rural mail carrier and also worked part-time at Fritz's Meats. He was chief of the Hildreth Volunteer Fire Department, of which he had been a member the last 25 years.

Schenk was president of the Franklin Country Club board for the last 12 years and an ambassador for the Tri-City Storm.

H1N1 flu activity is widespread across Nebraska. HHS no longer keeps track of individual cases and follows the Centers for Disease Control's policy for reporting levels of flu.