Swine flu has killed at least 19 people in the last one week in Pakistan's Punjab province with Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan districts being the most affected by the H1N1 influenza, health officials said today.
"The death-toll from a swine flu outbreak in Punjab has now climbed to 19 as 64 more are being treated in different hospitals," Punjab Health Services Director General Doctor Amjad Shehzad told reporters.
"We have alerted the hospitals to make arrangements to cater to the rising swine flu patients. All possible measures are being taken to control the disease," he said.
Shehzad cautioned the public to use masks at public places and said Swine flu is a contagious disease as its germs can be transmitted through infected person's sneeze or cough.
It infects with ease to those whose immune system is weak. Swine flu also affects children more than adults.
