Swine flu death toll 2 shy of 300 in India
POSTED September 28, 2009 - 09:32 | POSTED BY Jyoti Pal
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on September 28, 2009 - 11:38
Karnataka reported two fresh deaths while Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh one death each due to the influenza.
189 fresh laboratory-confirmed infections were also reported from various parts of the country. With these latest infections, the all-India cumulative swine flu infections stand at 9,694.
State wise toll
Out of the total 298 deaths, the state of Maharashtra accounts for 117 fatalities. 91 people have succumbed to the virus in Karnataka, while the states of Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat have reported 31 deaths each. 9 people have lost their lives in the national capital Delhi due to the virus.
The influenza has been responsible for 4 deaths each in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, 3 in Goa, 2 each in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The states of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan have reported one death each due to the swine flu virus.
The bifurcation of the latest 189 infections reported Sunday is as follows: Delhi 53, Maharashtra 46, Andhra Pradesh 39, Karnataka 17, Haryana 12, Kerala 7, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu 3, Chandigarh 3, Gujarat 2, Pondicherry 2, and Jammu & Kashmir 1.
The global swine flu scene
According to the latest report of the World Health Organization (WHO), as many as 3,917 people have lost their lives globally due to the highly contagious swine flu.
The United States has been the worst hit, accounting for 2,948 deaths. The H1N1 has also sniffed life out of 362 people in the West Pacific region. Southeast Asia has reported 340 deaths, Europe 154 deaths, East Mediterranean 72 and Africa 41 deaths.
The WHO also disclosed that, globally, the total number of laboratory confirmed cases is over 318,925. The figure may, however, not represent the true picture as many countries have stopped testing and reporting mild individual cases of the flu.
In the wake of unrelenting spread of the influenza, the Saudi Arabian government has urged swine flu-affected countries, including India, to avoid Haj pilgrimage and help rein in the spread of the deadly disease.
“Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, recommends that elderly, pregnant women, people with chronic diseases and children should postpone the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages this year for their own safety,” the advisory from Saudi Arabia said.
