A young adult in Penobscot County has died after contracting the H1N1 virus. State health authorities aren't identifying the victim but say he was a male who had "serious underlying medical conditions."

Maine Center for Disease Control Director Dr. Dora Mills says the young man died earlier this week at home, and he was not attending a local college or university. The victim's name or the date of his death are not being released in order to protect the privacy of the family, authorities say.

"We extend our deepest sympathy to this man's family and friends," Mills says in a statement. "While most people with H1N1 in Maine and the nation have had a relatively mild infection, this news demonstrates how severe influenza can be, especially in those with underlying conditions, pregnant women and children."

It's the second death in Maine related to the H1N1 virus. A York County man in his 50's, who also had underlying medical conditions, died in August after being hospitalized for three weeks.

Mill says the virus is now widespread in Maine. In the past week, she says, 25 schools have experienced high absentee rates, and 10 people have been hospitalized, including four children.

"People should assume they will be exposed to the H1N1 influenza at some point, and with very limited vaccine supplies in Maine right now, we should all take precautions to prevent serious illness," Mills says. She says most people can recover from the flu at home without seeing a health care provider. But she says certain symptoms should prompt people to seek medical attention, including dehydration, trouble breathing, getting better then suddenly getting a lot worse, or any major change in one's condition.

She says people should contact a health care provider if there are flu-like symptoms in a household in which anyone is younger than 2 years old, 65 years or older, pregnant, and/or has an underlying medical condition. She says prescription medicines, such as the antiviral known as Tamiflu, may help reduce the severity and duration of the illness.