Swiss tourist dies of suspected swine flu in Rajasthan

A 70-year-old tourist from Switzerland is suspected to have died of swine flu in Rajasthan, say health authorities.

The 70-year-old Swiss national was on a vacation in Jaisalmer when she first fell ill and was being treated at a local private clinic.

As her condition worsened, she was taken to a hospital in Jodhpur, according to reports.

"A Swiss woman was admitted to our hospital yesterday. She was suffering from pneumonia. She was kept in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and put on ventilator because her condition was very bad," said Dr. Deepak Verma.

The hospital had contacted the local police and the embassy to conduct post-mortem and handover the body.

"Despite all the treatment, she died at around 6.30 a.m. We have informed the district administration. We, with the help of local police, are trying to contact her country's embassy to seek permission for post mortem," said Verma.

At least 58 swine flu deaths have been reported in Rajasthan alone.

Swine flu is caused by H1N1 virus. H1N1 symptoms are similar to those produced by other influenza viruses - fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and respiratory problems.

Symptoms for swine flu include high fever, headache, muscle pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain and internal and external bleeding.

It is transmitted to people primarily from ticks and livestock animals with an incubation period of up to nine days. Human-to-human transmission takes up to two weeks.