The toll in the H1N1 flu epidemic in Pune rose to 25 with a middle-aged woman succumbing to the viral infection on Wednesday.

The victim -- Shabana Shaikh -- had been put on ventilator since her admission to the government-run Sassoon Hospital on August 22, hospital sources said.

Meanwhile, attendance at schools and colleges, which reopened on August 24 after a gap of a fortnight, remained affected by the flu scare among parents and students.