Swine Flu Death Toll: 400 In Ahmedabad, 525 In Maharashtra; Here's How You Stay Safe

An official statement from the state government said that the death toll due to swine flu has reached 400 from January to September 11. Two more swine flu deaths have been reported in the state on Monday and 74 new swine flu cases have been registered. The total number of swine flu cases has reached 6,490. In 2015, Gujarat had reported 517 deaths and 7,180 swine flu cases. The state government said that 2,633 patients have been cured in the past 15 days. It claimed that swine flu cases have decreased to 40% of weekly cases reported in average over the last four weeks. The government said the mortality rate due to swine flu in Gujarat is at 6, reports The Times of India. The state government further stated that not a single swine flu case was reported in 11 districts and five municipalities on Monday. One case each was reported in 14 districts of the state on Monday, the statement revealed.

In Maharashtra, 525 people have died of swine flu so far. "The situation is perfectly under control and there's no need to panic. The State has the necessary stock of medicines, and we appeal the citizens to follow basic safety norms to avoid the infection," said Health minister Dr. Sawant.

The minister has asked municipal corporations to keep a record of swine flu patients. Municipal commissioners have been asked to send weekly updates on the situation. "In case of deaths in private hospitals, the municipal administration must conduct a death audit," he said. The State has screened 15.15 lakh citizens for swine flu, of which 4,898 tested positive. As many as 546 patients are currently admitted in hospitals, and 44 of them are on ventilator support, reports The Hindu. "We have discharged 3,870 patients," said the minister. Nine of the 525 people who died of the infection were from outside Maharashtra.

The minister also said that even though swine flu cases are increasing rapidly, the state government is capable of controlling it. "The increase in number of patients is mainly because of the changing climate. The government is also aiming at running an experiment to check the joint effect of using Oseltamivir and Amantadine on swine flu patients, following permission from the Centre," Dr. Sawant said.