New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) In just over five months, India has lost over 1,000 lives to the deadly pandemic H1N1 virus, the health ministry said here Tuesday.
At least 12 people died due to the contagious virus Tuesday, taking the total deaths from it to 1,002.

Also, 62 new cases were reported nationwide, taking the total number of people affected with the virus to 26,371.

A record six deaths were reported from Gujarat, where the toll has touched 132. Three deaths were also reported from Maharashtra, which has been reeling with 278 casualties - the highest number of deaths in the country.

Maharashtra’s Pune town had reported India’s first swine flu death Aug 3 last year.

One death each was recorded from Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

“Till date, samples from 114,141 people have been tested for Influenza A (H1N1) in government laboratories and a few private laboratories across the country and 26,371 of them have been found positive,” said a statement issued here.

In New Delhi, 14 new cases were reported, taking the total to 9,495, a health department official said.

“There were 14 new cases of Influenza A (H1N1) virus today. With this, the total number of swine flu cases in Delhi is 9,495,” Anjana Prakash, Delhi’s assistant nodal officer for swine flu, told IANS.

Of the 14 new cases, six were children, she added. No new deaths were, however, reported.

On Monday, a 21-year-old woman died because of swine flu, taking the toll due to the H1N1 virus in the city to 73.

New cases were reported from Maharashtra (26), Rajasthan (11), Uttar Pradesh (5), Karnataka (2) and Tamil Nadu (1).