42nd swine flu death in Chandigarh, six new cases

CHANDIGARH - With a middle-aged woman succumbing to the H1N1 virus, the number of deaths from swine flu in Chandigarh has risen to 42, officials said Friday. The city also reported six new cases.

The woman died at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here.

The deceased woman had been admitted at the PGIMER for the last few days and died late Thursday night. Besides, six new positive cases of swine flu, including a doctor of PGIMER, were reported in Chandigarh Friday, said H.C. Gera, UT nodal officer for swine flu.

The new patients include two each from Chandigarh and Punjab and one each from Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, he said.

So far over 700 patients have been screened for swine flu in hospitals here, of which nearly 300 tested positive. In December alone, nearly 300 positive cases of swine flu and 32 deaths were reported here.

Swine flu testing facility is available at the virology department of PGIMER, which is also catering to the needs of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.