Death toll due to swine flu rises to 31 in Punjab

Chandigarh, Feb 10: Seven people have succumbed to swine flu in Punjab in the last four days taking the death toll due to the disease to 31.

"The death toll due to swine flu in Punjab during the current season has risen to 31," State Nodal Officer for Swine Flu (Punjab) Gagandeep Singh Grover said today.

The patients who have died because of the H1N1 virus over the past three weeks belonged to Bathinda, Muktsar, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Moga and Mansa. Till January 20, swine flu had claimed four lives in the state.

In neighbouring Haryana, the number of casualties due to the infection is four and a total of 24 positive cases of the virus have been reported till yesterday.

"Four persons including three women have died because of swine flu," said Dr Aprajita Sondh, State Surveillance Officer (IDSP), Haryana. The patients who have died belonged to Hisar, Fatehabad and Jind districts, she said.

All government hospitals in the two states have been directed to set up separate wards to treat patients with swine flu.

An advisory has already been issued to government and private hospitals to provide immediate treatment to patients suspected to be infected with the virus without conducting tests.

The testing, which is free of cost, for influenza is being conducted at Government College Amritsar and PGIMER, Chandigarh.

PTI