Swine flu death toll rises to 57 in Indore

With the death of a woman due to swine flu Wednesday, the number of people who have fallen prey to the H1N1 virus has reached 57 in Indore in Madhya Pradesh in the last 100 days, a Health department officer said.

The 65-year-old woman died at a private hospital while undergoing treatment for H1N1 viral infection.

The officer said 194 patients tested positive of swine flu in the city hospitals since January this year, and 57 of them have died.

Retired Regional Director of Health Department Dr Sharad Pandit told PTI, "It is seen that swine flu generally spreads in winter while the virus weakens during summer. However, it seems that H1N1 virus develops adaptability to high temperature.

"The genetic structure of H1N1 virus is changing rapidly, so the government needs to create a new strategy to deal with the outbreak of swine flu," he said.

As per the Meteorological Department, the maximum temperature was recorded 40.1 Degrees Celsius in Indore on Wednesday, which is 1.1 degree above if compared to April 9.