New Delhi, August 16
The government today said 25 persons, including 13 in Pune, had died of Influenza-A H1N1 infection in the country so far. The casualty figures in Pune were earlier cited at 25, which the Health Ministry sought to correct today, saying 13 persons had died of the infection in the city and not 15, as was being earlier said. By far, Pune has the highest swine flu mortality rate in India.

Other cities where deaths have been reported include Bangalore (five), Mumbai (two), Ahmedabad, Chennai, Vadodara, Nashik and Thiruvananthpuram (one each).

The spread of virus, meanwhile, continued, with 152 positive cases coming to light today. Shimla in Himachal saw its first such case involving a 50-year-old female with no overseas travel record.

Of the 152 cases recorded today, 97 are from Maharashtra, with Mumbai topping the list at 60 cases (57 of them indigenous with no foreign travel history) followed by 18 in Pune (all indigenous), nine in Aurangabad, two each in Akola and Jalna and one each in Ahmadnagar, Solapur, Latur, Nagpur, Jalgaon and Dhule. All these infections are cases of secondary transmission, an indication that the virus is now firmly established in the community.

Even in Delhi, where 11 cases came to light during the day, 10 are local and only one has a travel history to the UK. Of Karnataka’s 18 cases, Bangalore saw 10 (all indigenous) followed by Mangalore (three), Davangere (two), Belgaum, Hubli and Hrudyalaya (one each). Dibrugarh in Assam also saw one positive case today while Ernakulam reported three cases, Coimbatore 10 and Chennai 11.

Of the 60 cases in Mumbai today, only three have a travel history to Jeddah, Taiwan and Hong Kong, respectively, the government said. So far, India has screened 8,658 persons for swine flu. Of these, 1,707 have tested positive, and 694 have been treated and discharged.

Special attention is being paid to Maharashtra, which continues to be vulnerable to swine flu, with health experts warning of cluster formations in Pune and Panchgani area of Satara district. A central team is currently stationed in Maharashtra to assist the state government in instituting appropriate public health measures.