Swine flu claims 3 more lives

Swine flu claimed three more lives across the country on Friday even as 124 fresh cases were reported taking the total number of infected people to 4,488. A maximum of 33 cases were reported from Tamil Nadu, while Delhi reported 15, Karnataka reported 18, Maharashtra reported 21 and Uttar Pradesh reported 30 caess of H1N1 virus.

Out of the 124 cases reported during the day, four are imported and the rest are indigenous. Of the three deaths, two were in Karnataka and one in Gujarat. In Delhi, authorities said the condition of a 35-year-old man admitted to RML Hospital in New Delhi was critical. "His condition is critical and he is on dialysis and ventilator," N K Chaturvedi, Medical Superintendent, RML hospital, said.

In Karnataka, with the swab samples of six more persons including two women, who died earlier in Bangalore, testing positive to H1N1 virus, the swine flu toll in the state rose to 40 on Friday. Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation said at least 2,837 people had died across the globe from swine flu since the new H1N1 virus was uncovered in April. Gregory Hartl, spokesman for the UN health agency, said the data marks an increase of 652 deaths from the last toll of 2,185 published a week ago. Hartl said the increase in the number of deaths is due to the overall rise in the number of people who have caught the A (H1N1) virus, and not because of the virus turning more virulent.