Swiss woman among 24 died of swine flu

New Delhi: Twenty-four people, including a Swiss woman, Thursday died of swine flu in four states while several fresh cases of the contagious disease which has claimed nearly 450 lives this year were reported.

The highest number of 13 deaths took place in Rajasthan where the 70-year-old tourist from Switzerland died at a hospital in Jodhpur. Eight people died in Gujarat, two in Punjab and one person in Uttar Pradesh.

Animarie was referred to Mathuradas Mathur Hospital in Jodhpur yesterday from a private hospital in Jaisalmer where she was found positive for H1N1 virus, Jodhpur Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Y V Singh Rathore said.

While Nagaur and Jodhpur reported three deaths each, two persons died in Jaipur and Ajmer each and one death took place in Barmer, Karauli and Jaisalmer each.

"Out of 1,631 people tested positive for the virus, 130 have died in the state since January 1," the official said.

According to Union Health Ministry data, 216 people have lost their lives to swine flu across the country in the first 10 days of February with the death toll due to the contagious disease crossing over 400 this year.

In Gujarat, eight persons died, taking the total number of deaths due to the H1N1 virus in the state to 116 this year.

Three patients died in Ahmedabad, two each in Vadodara and Dahod while one death was reported in Surat district, a government release said.

123 fresh cases of the flu were also recorded across the state, taking the total number to 1,233, it said.

Two deaths were also reported in Punjab taking the toll due to the H1N1 virus to 19. The deceased hailed from Bathinda and Muktsar districts, an official spokesman said.

In Lucknow, a patient working in Merchant Navy and admitted in SGPGI died taking the toll to three in the Uttar Pradesh capital while 53 patients are undergoing treatment.

Meanwhile in Aligarh, the authorities at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) have set up an isolation ward in the wake of three confirmed cases of swine flu reported at the Medical College Hospital.

Thirty-nine fresh cases were also reported in Telangana which recorded 42 deaths since January 1.