43 dead, 1,100 tested positive of swine flu in Rajasthan

At least 43 people have died and nearly 1,100 have tested positive for swine flu in Rajasthan since the beginning of this year, authorities said Friday. According to reports, more than 60 people of Ajmer, Bhilwara, Nagaur, Bharatpur, Bikaner, Jaipur, Dausa, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Kota, and Udaipur have been diagnosed positive for the disease today itself. The maximum cases of people infected with the H1N1 virus were reported from Jaipur.

According to reports, Rajasthan health department is taking all measures to prevent its spread in the state. The department is also planning to launch a special door-to-door campaign from January 21 to January 23. The screening for swine flu will be done during this campaign at night shelters, hotels, and schools.

Meanwhile, seven people died of suspected swine flu in Punjab this month, Health Minister Brahm Mohindra said on Thursday. He said so far 140 suspected people were tested for the H1N1 virus and out of these 60 cases have been found to be positive.

"Seven patients with complications and other illnesses have died," Mohindra said. The Minister said teams of the Health Department visited the patients and 435 close contacts of these cases were also treated free of cost.

In view of an "acute upsurge" in cases of Influenza H1N1, Mohindra reviewed the preparedness of the state and the action being taken in a high-level meeting with senior officers of the Health Department, an official statement said.

Guidelines for the management of Influenza H1N1 have already been circulated to all districts of the state, the Minister said. He said separate isolation wards for management of Influenza A H1N1 cases have been established at three government medical colleges (GMCs), 22 district hospitals and 41 sub-divisional hospitals of the state.

With PTI Inputs