Swine flu toll climbs to 1,731; number of cases close to 30,000-mark

The swine flu toll in the country climbed to 1,731 on Monday with 21 more deaths being reported even as the number of persons affected by the disease inched close to the 30,000-mark, surpassing the earlier levels reached during 2009.

The swine flu toll in the country climbed to 1,731 on Monday with 21 more deaths being reported even as the number of persons affected by the disease inched close to the 30,000-mark, surpassing the earlier levels reached during 2009.

A-man-suspected-of-having-swine-flu-being-taken-to-a-screening-centre-at-the-Ram-Manohar-Lohia-Hospital-in-New-Delhi-Raj-K-Raj-HT-Photo

As per the health ministry's figures, in 2009, 27,236 persons were affected due to the disease while 981 deaths were registered. In 2010, the disease affected more than 20,000 people while 1,763 deaths were reported.

The death toll was the highest in Gujarat where 387 people have died to the disease while the number of affected people has reached 6,148. Swine flu has killed 378 persons in Rajasthan.

The death toll in Maharashtra inched towards the 300-mark as 293 have died due to the contagious disease while 3,483 people are affected by the disease. In Madhya Pradesh, 239 people have perished and 1,909 are affected.

In Delhi, 11 deaths have been reported while the number of swine flu cases inched towards the 4,000-mark, as 3,998 people are affected by the disease.

The disease has claimed the lives of 18 persons in Himanchal Pradesh, while eleven people have died in Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, 13 persons have died due to the disease.

The death toll in West Bengal has reached 19 while the state of Uttar Pradesh has witnessed 35 deaths. In Jammu and Kashmir, the death of one more person has taken the toll to 16. In Andhra Pradesh, 20 persons have died while the disease has also claimed the lives of 16 people in Chhattisgarh.

A study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has said the swine flu virus in India may have mutated to a more severe and infectious strain than the earlier H1N1 strains.