Five persons treated for swine flu here at a major state-run hospital have died since January 1, a senior health official said.
"Since January 1, five deaths occurred till today. From January 1, total number swine flu cases till today is 22. Of them, six have been discharged and are in good condition, while 16 are under treatment," swine flu coordinator at state-run Gandhi hospital Dr Narasimhulu said.
In many cases, patients also suffered from other health problems like heart ailments and were referred to Gandhi hospital from private hospitals, he said.
He said that in many cases where patients are referred from private hospitals come in "last stage" of the disease.
Meanwhile, health officials maintained that swine flu disease this year is not as virulent as it was in 2009, but high risk groups (those suffering from different serious ailments and low immunity) need to remain alert.
In 2014, 88 cases of swine flu were reported in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Last year, 11 persons reportedly died of swine flu.
