Swine flu claims 221 lives in Maha since January

Swine flu has claimed as many as 221 lives in Maharashtra so far this year with Pune accounting for more than one-fourth of the fatalities, a government official said on Saturday.

Four of the victims hailed from Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh (two each) who were admitted to state hospitals, where they succumbed to infection, according to a report compiled by Maharashtra health department. The report has figures related to H1N1 affected patients from January 1 to May 26.

"During this period 15,003 patients showed swine flu like symptoms and were administered medicines as a preventive measure," Joint Director of Family Welfare Mukund Diggikar said.

Of these patients, 1,106 tested positive for deadly virus. Among them, 23 were from states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, he said. "H1N1 infection has been the cause of death of 221 people in Maharashtra between January 1 and May 26," said Diggikar, who holds additional charge of epidemic diseases in the department.