New Delhi: Swine flu has claimed 34 more lives as the nationwide toll from the H1N1 virus touched 1,075 with the number of cases of the disease inching towards the 20,000 mark.
Health Ministry figures said that 1,075 persons have perished from the disease while the number of those affected by swine flu stands at 19,972 till Saturday.
The data showed that Gujarat has pipped Rajasthan in terms of the number of deaths with 265 casualties while 4,368 people are affected by the disease in the state.
Gujarat state government officials said in Ahmedabad that 10 more people succumbed to swine flu on Sunday, taking the toll to 275. Besides, 247 new cases were also recorded in the state, taking the total number of cases to 4,614, an official statement said. Union Health Ministry officials said they were collating latest information on swine flu.
Rajasthan has seen 261 persons fall prey to the H1N1 virus with 5,528 cases reported.
In Madhya Pradesh, swine flu has claimed 153 lives while 1,010 people were affected by the virus. The toll in Maharashtra touched 143 with 1,735 cases having so far come to light.
In Telangana and Punjab, the disease has claimed 57 and 42 lives, respectively while in Delhi, 10 persons have died due to swine flu. The number of affected persons in the national capital has risen to 2,891.
The disease has claimed the lives of 46 persons in Karnataka with Haryana (21), Andhra Pradesh (12), Himachal Pradesh (8), Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala (7 each) also grappling with swine flu.
West Bengal saw 16 new cases of swine flu reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of those affected to 131. A state health official said that the disease has claimed eight lives in West Bengal.
In Odisha, the toll stands at four after a 34-year old woman became the latest victim of swine flu, a health department official said.
Forty-five fresh swine flu cases were reported in Uttar Pradesh, taking the total for those affected to 614.
Health Ministry figures show that in 2009, the virus had affected a total of 27,236 persons and caused 981 casualties while, in 2010, 20,604 persons were affected by the virus with the toll reaching 1,763.
Health Minister JP Nadda had earlier said that the 21 laboratories capable at present of testing swine flu were "not enough" and the government was planning to set up H1N1 testing facilities in every state with financial provisions being made for it.
The government has repeatedly asserted that it was "very serious" about combating the disease and has asked the people to not panic but remain alert.
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