Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) A record 13 swine flu deaths, including eight in Maharashtra, were reported Friday, taking India’s influenza A (H1N1) toll to 233, health authorities said.
Moreover, a record 372 fresh cases were reported in the country, taking the total number of people affected with the contagious virus to 7,374.

In Maharashtra, five people succumbed to the virus late Thursday night. The medical reports of three people, who had died earlier, came Friday confirming that their deaths were due to swine flu, officials said.

The death toll in the state has now touched 97 - the highest in the country.

In Bangalore, two deaths were reported, both from the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD). The victims were Pushpa, a 28-year-old woman who died Sep 12, and 55-year-old Renuka who died a day later.

However, reports confirming that both victims tested positive for the virus were received only on Thursday, a health official said.

With the two deaths, the total toll in Karnataka has gone up to 75, officials said. As many as 55 of the deaths were registered in Bangalore alone.

In Hyderabad, a person died due to the virus Friday, taking the total toll in Andhra Pradesh to 17.

In the national capital, two people, who had died earlier, were found to have died of the virus infection. “The laboratory report confirmed that they were infected with the virus,” an official added. Eight deaths have been reported in the capital so far.

“Till date, samples from 32,545 people have been tested for influenza A (H1N1) in government laboratories and a few private laboratories across the country and 7,374 of them have been found positive,” a statement issued here said.

The maximum number of fresh cases - 129 - were reported from Delhi, taking the total number of people tested positive in the capital to 1,625.

Maharashtra once again reported a large number of fresh cases. At least 78 people were detected with the virus, taking the total number to 2,284 in the state.

Other states that reported fresh cases were Haryana (59), Tamil Nadu (34), Andhra Pradesh (31) and Karnataka (24).