3 die of swine flu in Uttarakhand; 14 test positive

Dehradun: Three persons have died of swine flu in Uttarakhand so far this year and 14 persons afflicted with the disease are undergoing treatment at different hospitals in the state, a senior official has said.

Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department Om Prakash said that though the state has not been put on alert yet, people should get themselves tested for the H1N1 virus.

Of the 114 suspected cases of swine flu registered in the state, reports have been received on 64, he said.

"Three people have died of the disease so far while 14 people who have been diagnosed with the disease are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the state," he informed.

He said the maximum number of swine flu cases have been seen in Dehradun and Haridwar.

"Districts of the state are sending daily reports about the swine flu situation which are reviewed by the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and at my level," he said, adding that teams to treat the disease are being kept ready throughout the day.

The Principal Secretary also promised strict action against medical stores which were taking advantage of the situation by selling swine flu masks at inflated prices and said that if found guilty, people involved in this will have to forfeit their medical license.

Sufficient quantity of medicines are available and a request has also been sent to the Centre for more, he said.