July 29 (Bloomberg) -- The death toll from swine flu in Australia reached at least 54 as a 22-year-old man with the virus died, health authorities said.

The man, from the state of Western Australia, died yesterday in the hospital and had an underlying medical condition, the state’s health department said in a statement.

Of the 422 Australians hospitalized for swine flu, 97 are in intensive care, according to the federal health department.

To contact the reporter on this story: Joanna Cooney in Sydney jcooney6@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 29, 2009 02:07 EDT