By SANDY McGEE

CUMBERLAND — Health officials have confirmed that a Cumberland man's death on Sunday was “H1N1 related,” said Annemarie Beardsworth, spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Health.

Health officials are not releasing the identity of the victim. The man was between 50 to 60 years old with no underlying medical conditions, Beardsworth said.
While health officials say that influenza-like illness (ILI) activity in Rhode Island appears to be decreasing, this fatality is the eighth swine flu death to occur in the state since Sept. 1.
“This is a reminder that we need to continue to wash our hands, get vaccinated and continue to follow prevention tips,” Beardsworth said.
The Department of Health started receiving shipments of H1N1 vaccine in October and will continue receiving shipments throughout the flu season, which lasts through April.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that Rhode Island is estimated to receive more than 600,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine by the end of the flu season.
Health officials have planned for different populations to receive H1N1 vaccinations so that the most people can be vaccinated in the least amount of time.
Vaccinations began the first week of November in elementary, middle and high schools throughout the state. The first vaccines have been distributed to children, age 6 months through five years old, and pregnant women.
The Department of Health will begin to provide H1N1 vaccines, mostly in the form of nasal spray, to colleges and universities next week for students through age 24. The nasal spray vaccine contains a live virus and is not recommended for people with chronic illnesses.
Each college and university will work with the Wellness Company to design the clinic for their respective campus. Due to vaccine availability, college clinics will be scheduled in two phases.
The first phase of clinics will target the nine colleges and universities with residence halls and on-campus housing. Students who live in close, congregate settings are considered to be at higher risk for spreading influenza virus.
The nine colleges and universities in phase one are Brown University, Bryant University, Johnson and Wales, Providence College, Rhode Island College, Rhode Island School of Design, Roger Williams University, Salve Regina University and University of Rhode Island (URI). 
These clinics are scheduled to start the week of Nov. 30 and continue through Dec. 18.
Phase two will focus on schools with non-residential student populations and will be held the week of Dec. 14.
These clinics will be for students, through age 24, who are currently enrolled at Community College of Rhode Island, all campuses; Lincoln Technical Institute; New England Institute of Technology; and the Providence campus of URI.
College students are being offered the vaccine early in order to prevent the spread of the virus before the semester break, when many students travel home.
“Getting vaccinated is the best and easiest way to protect yourself and others from the flu,” said David R. Gifford, director of the Department of Health. “While we may have seen the peak of H1N1 activity this fall, we know that H1N1 will continue to spread throughout flu season, and we want students to be protected before they travel home for semester break.”
Students must complete a consent form in order to be vaccinated and should return the consent form before the clinic.
Adults through age 24, who are not enrolled in college, will have an opportunity to be vaccinated at a later date.
For more information, call the H1N1 information line at (401) 222-8022 or visit www.health.ri.gov.