19 new swine flu cases in Bengal

Kolkata: As many as 19 fresh cases of swine flu were reported on Wednesday in West Bengal, pushing the total state figure to 264, a health official said, stressing that the situation was "manageable".

There has been no deaths since Tuesday.

"The toll in the state is 17 and the total number of cases now is 264," principal secretary for health and family welfare Malay Kumar De told IANS.

He said 164 patients have been cured and discharged from various hospitals in Kolkata.

"Around 83 patients are currently being treated in various hospitals. The number of infected people is very small and the situation is manageable," De said.

As on Wednesday, 72 blood samples have been sent for tests in three labs in the city.

The National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) would examine 65 suspect samples while the rest were being tested in two private hospitals, he said.

Most of the cases have been reported from Barasat in North 24 Parganas district and Kolkata while some were reported from Howrah and Hooghly districts.