Swine flu: 812 dead, over 13,688 under attack, and still raging

As the government and health authorities continue to debate how best to battle the outbreak of the deadly swine flu, which has claimed over 812 lives across the country so far and left more than 13,688 people infested by H1N1 virus.

Nearly two months after the first case of swine flu deaths were reported from Gujarat and Rajasthan, the disease has now pandemic proportions with more swine flu deaths reported from Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra.

On Sunday alone, 38 more succumbed to swine flu, taking to toll to 812, while the total number of people affected by H1N1 virus reached 13,688, according to health ministry figures.

Seven more persons succumbed to swine flu in Rajasthan. Out of 4,318 patients who tested positive for the HINI virus, 212 have died since 1 January, an official of Medical and Health Directorate (MHD) said in Jaipur.

In Gujarat, 10 more people died of the disease taking the death toll to 207, according to an official release.

In Maharashtra, 99 people have lost their lives with seven more deaths being reported in the state, according to Public Health Minister Dr Deepak Sawant.

In Jammu and Kashmir, one more patient died of swine flu, taking the toll to five, while 119 have tested positive for the disease so far, officials said.

Three persons have died of swine flu in Uttarakhand this year and 14 persons afflicted by it are undergoing treatment at different hospitals in the state.

The death toll due to swine flu in Odisha rose to three with a 42-year-old man dying of the disease at a private hospital, official sources said in Bhubaneswar.

With the death of a baby due to this disease in West Bengal, four people have lost their lives, officials said in Kolkata.

The union health ministry has asked the state drug controllers to ensure that chemist shops display prominently availability of medicines for its treatment.

Although states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra and Telangana witnessed a rise in number of swine flu cases, union health ministry officials said that in comparison to Saturday, there has been a dip in the number of fresh positive cases on Sunday.

The centre expects the growth in the number of cases to come down with the summer season setting in.