With two new swine flu deaths reported from Karnataka, the death toll due to the H1N1 virus in the state has reached 64, a health official said in Bangalore on Monday.
While one patient died in Bangalore, the second death due to H1N1 flu was in Kolar.
A 29-year-old woman admitted at a private hospital died in Bangalore on Saturday, and a 60-year-old man died of the virus at a private hospital in Kolar September 4.
However, the report confirming that both the victims tested positive for the virus was received only on September 13, a health official said.
With the rise in swine flu deaths, Bangalore's municipal corporation Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in association with health department started a door to door surveillance drive Sunday.
"The survey is being conducted jointly by the BBMP and the health departments, both at the state and central levels," BBMP Special Commissioner Maheshwara Rao said.
A team of 15, comprising doctors and paramedical staff, visited 1,500 houses in the city, choosing them at random.
{{/usCountry}}A team of 15, comprising doctors and paramedical staff, visited 1,500 houses in the city, choosing them at random.
{{/usCountry}}"We are adopting a random method. We pay random visit to houses in a particular community and check the health conditions of all the members of the particular family," said a state health department official.
"A set of questions are also being asked to each family, to verify their current health status. We're also acquiring random samples from members of houses suspected of having influenza symptoms," the official added.
The survey will be extended to other parts of the state from which swine flu cases have been reported.
Twenty three fresh cases were reported from the state Monday, of which 18 were in Bangalore. Two cases were reported in Bijapur and one each in Belgaum, Dharwad and Raichur districts.
With this, the number of positive cases in the state has risen to 760.