Rajasthan: 5 more succumb to swine flu, death toll climbs to 73

Jaipur: Five more persons succumbed to swine flu in Rajasthan, as the toll climbed to 73 this year, an official of the state medical and health department said today.

One death was reported each in Ajmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Banswara and Chittogarh districts yesterday, Director Public Health department B R Meena said.

73 out of 497 people who tested positive for the H1N1 virus have died in the state from January 1 to February 5, he said.

Principal Secretary, Medical and Health department, Mukesh Sharma had said that the department has initiated door-to-door surveys and awareness campaigns about the virus in rural and urban areas of the state.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje held a high-level review meeting with medical officers on Tuesday and directed them to set up a task-force at state, division and district levels to contain the spread of the disease, another official said.