Swine flu claims 7 more victims, death toll 396

The H1N1 accounted for 7 fresh deaths, 5 of them in the state of Maharashtra.

140 fresh cases were also reported from various parts of the country taking the tall of infections to 12,185.

30 fresh cases were reported from the national capital Delhi, while Maharashtra reported 23 cases. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu reported 22 cases apiece. Kerala accounted for 13 of the latest infections, while 8 cases were reported from Haryana.

State wise death toll
In Maharashtra, the state worst hit by swine flu pandemic, one death was reported Tuesday while four other deaths, which had occurred earlier, were confirmed as swine flu cases.

“We were awaiting the lab reports of these four cases. It was confirmed that they died due to swine flu today only after the reports came,” a health official said.

The latest 5 deaths take the count of swine flu fatalities in Maharashtra to 165. The southern state of Karnataka also attributed two previous deaths to the H1N1. With these two deaths, the toll in the state has gone up to 112.

The dreaded swine flu virus has sniffed life out of 42 people in Andhra Pradesh, 36 in Gujarat and 15 in Delhi. 9 people have lost their lives in Kerala, 4 each in Tamil Nadu and Haryana, 3 in Goa and 2 each in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand due to the influenza. A death each has been reported in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

Change in attitude amid Diwali festivities
The spirit of Diwali, the festival of lights celebrated in the country with a lot of passion and frenzy, has dwarfed the panic created by the swine flu virus. The markets are bustling with activity as shoppers have thronged there to capitalize on the numerous discounts.

The normal day-to-day working has also taken a turn for the positive as the hype and panic surrounding the influenza has slowly petered down.

"Now you don't see people moving around with masks even in a city like Pune, the worst-hit by swine flu," said Pradip Awate, Maharashtra epidemic medical officer and in-charge, state swine-flu control room.

Karnataka's principal secretary for health I.R. Perumal noted, "People have realised that there is no point in panicking. It's a positive sign that places like schools and offices have adopted preventive measures to fight the H1N1 virus, rather than closing public places."

But there is no room for complacency. The commencement of winter may mean a resurgent virus.

"We are in the process of expanding the existing medical and related infrastructure to control swine flu and treat it. We are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best," said Awate in Mumbai.