SWINE(H1N1) FLU

HOUSTON (Reuters) - A Texas woman with the new H1N1 swine flu died earlier this week, the second death attributed to the virus on U.S. soil, Texas health officials said on Tuesday.

It was the first time that a U.S. resident succumbed to the virus, after a toddler from Mexico City who had crossed into the United States to visit family in the border town of Brownsville died at a Houston hospital on April 27.

The Texas Department of State Health Services said a woman with "chronic underlying health conditions" died this week in Cameron County -- which is located on the U.S.-Mexico border and includes Brownsville.

The United States now has 403 confirmed cases of the new H1N1 flu, in 38 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

CDC officials have said they expect the H1N1 swine influenza virus to spread to all states and to cause some severe cases and even deaths, but so far it has been mild.