SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The death of an NWT resident last week meets the criteria associated with H1N1 flu deaths, despite official testing yet to confirm the deceased had the virus, according to Damien Healy, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Services.

"Pending lab confirmation, which takes five to seven days, we'll know more later next week," Healy said.

"If it is, in fact, lab-confirmed H1N1, we would issue a public health advisory and hold a media event."

Healy said the department does not yet know the exact cause of death.

Details about the resident were not confirmed by the department due to patient confidentiality. The deceased may be a father of two from Fort Simpson who died on Wednesday, according to members of that community.

Marie Lafferty, president of the Metis Nation in Fort Simpson, said that the man who died was a healthy man in his 50s who came down with flu symptoms and died.

"He was in his 50s, but he was always really healthy. It's a real shock," said Lafferty.

Lafferty said the man worked out of town, but she believes he was in town when he got sick.

"He was treated here. They were going to medevac him but a few hours later he was gone," said Lafferty. "If we have it in town, I think that if people are sick they should stay close to home and get checked. What else can you do?" The best way to avoid catching the H1N1 flu virus, according to Dr. Kami Kandola, acting chief medical officer of the NWT, is to avoid close contact with those who have flu-like symptoms.

People are told to wash hands regularly and thoroughly, or use hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.

If residents have flu-like symptoms, they are advised to call the health lines available on the department of health website. Calling the phone lines rather than going to a healthcare centre is the safest route for the community, because sick patients at health centres may be more susceptible to the disease than healthy people.