Swine flu deaths rise to 1,075, close to 20,000 infected nationwide

Thirty four more deaths were reported Saturday, while the number of infected inched close to 20,000 over the weekend

Swine flu claimed 34 more lives over the weekend, taking the nationwide toll from the H1N1 virus to 1,075, even as the number of persons testing positive for the disease moved closer to 20,000.

Health Ministry figures said that 1,075 persons have perished from the disease while the number of those affected by swine flu stands at 19,972 till Saturday.

The data showed that Gujarat has overtaken Rajasthan in terms of the number of deaths with 265 casualties while 4,368 people have been affected by the disease in the state.

Gujarat state government officials said in Ahmedabad that 10 more people succumbed to swine flu on Sunday, taking the toll to 275. Besides, 247 new cases were also recorded in the state, taking the total number of cases to 4,614, an official statement said. Union Health Ministry officials said they were collating latest information on swine flu.

Rajasthan has seen 261 persons fall prey to the H1N1 virus with 5,528 cases reported.

In Madhya Pradesh, swine flu has claimed 153 lives while 1,010 people were affected by the virus. The toll in Maharashtra touched 143 with 1,735 cases having so far come to light.

In Telangana and Punjab, the disease has claimed 57 and 42 lives, respectively while in Delhi, 10 persons have died due to swine flu. The number of affected persons in the national capital has risen to 2,891.

The disease has claimed the lives of 46 persons in Karnataka with Haryana (21 deaths), Andhra Pradesh (12 deaths), Himachal Pradesh (eight deaths), Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala (both seven deaths) also grappling with swine flu.

West Bengal saw 16 new cases of swine flu reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of those affected to 131. A state health official said that the disease has claimed eight lives in WB.

In Odisha today, the toll stands at four after a 34-year old woman became the latest victim of swine flu, a health department official said.

Forty-five fresh swine flu cases were reported in Uttar Pradesh, taking the total for those affected to 614.