India’s swine flu toll goes up to 1,082

NEW DELHI - Twelve swine flu deaths, of them eleven in Gujarat alone, were reported Tuesday, taking the total toll in India to 1,082, health authorities said here.

Also, 83 new cases were recorded in the country, taking the number of people affected with the contagious virus to 27,901.

Of the deaths in Gujarat, two deaths were reported Tuesday and the rest had occurred earlier but were only confirmed Tuesday. With these deaths, the toll in the state has gone up to 163.

One death was also reported from Rajasthan.

In the Indian capital, eight new cases were reported Tuesday, taking the total number of infections from the pandemic virus so far to 9,570, nearly 60 percent of whom have been children.

“Of the eight cases, five are children,” Anjana Prakash, Delhi’s deputy nodal officer for swine flu, told IANS.

With these five children, the city has so far witnessed 5,330 kids being infected with the H1N1 virus.

“Yes, children are the worst sufferers. But fortunately the number of cases is going down and winter may be the reason behind it,” Prakash added.

The deaths in the national capital due to swine flu remained unchanged at 87.

“Till date, samples from 117,943 people have been tested for Influenza A (H1N1) in government laboratories and a few private laboratories across the country and 27,901 of them have been found positive,” said a statement issued here.

New cases were also reported from Gujarat (33), Maharashtra (28), Karnataka (15), Rajasthan (11), Madhya Pradesh (4), Chhattisgarh (2) and Punjab (1).