The North Carolina Division of Public Health has confirmed the state's first death linked to infection with the novel H1N1 virus.

The patient was an adult resident of Guilford County with underlying medical conditions. The patient died Friday following a brief hospitalization. After his death, testing at the State Laboratory of Public Health confirmed infection with the pandemic H1N1 virus, according to a press release from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

To date, North Carolina has recorded 124 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu in 31 counties.