Swine flu claims 5 lives in Rajasthan

Five swine flu deaths were reported in Rajasthan on Thursday taking the toll to 96, officials said.

Around 100 others tested positive for swine flu on the same day, taking the total count to 2,706, since January 1, they added.

One death each were reported from Kota, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Pali and Barmer on Thursday.

In Jaipur 46 patients tested positive, followed by Barmer with 11 patients. Ganganagar reported eight new swine flu cases, Udaipur six and Bhilwara five.

Rajasthan Health and Medical Minister Raghu Sharma said over 25 lakh people were tested till Wednesday under the aggressive screening campaign in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner and Ajmer, between February 4 and February 9.

The rising number of swine flue cases in the state have also perked up political parties with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blaming the Congress for being negligent over the issue. Retorting to the charge, the ruling Congress accused the BJP of being lackadaisical during its tenure.

Former Rajasthan Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf accused Sharma of missing on priorities and engaging in election campaigning and inauguration projects as the state suffered due to the outbreak of disease.

Responding to the BJP's demand for his resignation, Sharma said: "If my resignation can stop these deaths, I am ready to resign."

--IANS

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