NEW YORK – New York City health officials say three more people have died from swine flu, bringing the city's total to 15.
One victim was a child under the age of 5, one was a person between 5 to 24 years old, and another was between 30 to 39 years old.
The news comes as the World Health Organization declared a swine flu pandemic on Thursday.
Health Commissioner Thomas Farley was to testify later Thursday at a hearing examining the city's response to the flu.
The city health department says a telephone poll of over 1,000 residents found nearly 7 percent had flu-like symptoms in April in May. That suggests more than half a million New Yorkers were ill.
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