Swine flu cases rise to 247 in Bangladesh

DHAKA - The number of people affected by the swine flu virus in Bangladesh has risen to 247 after 34 new cases were detected Tuesday.

Health Minister A.F.M. Ruhal Haq told reporters that patients suspected to have contracted the disease should get treatment first instead of waiting for a confirmation report of the influenza A (H1N1) virus.

On Sunday night, a 35-year-old woman died of swine flu at a hospital in Dhaka, becoming the country’s first victim of the viral disease.

The country’s first swine flu case was reported June 18. The minister said the woman died because she had been given the wrong treatment.