BREMERTON, Wash. -- A Kitsap County man in his 50s died Sunday from H1N1 influenza, said Scott Daniels of Kitsap County Health District.

It’s the first reported H1N1 death of a Kitsap County resident.

In Kitsap County from September 19 to October 19, 2009, there have been five hospitalizations of patients with H1N1 influenza, Daniels said.

H1N1 vaccines are arriving in Washington, but are currently only being made available to those designated as most at risk for H1N1 influenza by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Those priority groups include pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old and children and adults up to age 64 years with serious, chronic medical conditions (especially lung disease), and healthcare and emergency workers.

Vaccines will be available to everyone who wants one as soon as supplies are sufficient to cover demand in risk groups.

Please visit www.kitsapcountyhealth.com/H1N1/h1n1.htm or call the Health District's Flu Hotline at 360-337-5240 for updates about vaccine availability.

Persons with influenza do not need to see a doctor unless their symptoms are unusually severe or if they are at increased risk of severe illness due to an underlying health condition. Most people experience and recover from H1N1 flu without medication just as they do from seasonal flu, Daniels said.