Swine flu cases spurt, new vaccines to come shortly

NEW DELHI - Swine flu remains a major health challenge for India with as many as 89 deaths and 1,247 cases being officially reported during the last one week.

Swine flu is at its worst ever in Maharashtra with as many as 50 deaths. According to the health ministry, 335 cases of H1N1 were reported from the state.

Second highest number of deaths were reported from Delhi where six people died and 250 tested positive for the contagion.

In the southern states, Karnataka saw no deaths but the number of cases spurt to 300. In Andhra Pradesh, four deaths and 80 cases were reported while Tamil Nadu had 41 cases and Kerala six.

Six deaths and 71 cases were reported from Gujarat. Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa were the other badly affected states.

Health ministry officials, however, maintain that the situation is largely under control and two more indigenous vaccines will be coming shortly.

“We will have two more indigenous vaccines for H1N1 soon and that will bring the prices of the vaccine down,” said an official from the ministry.

Two vaccines, an injection and a nasal spray, have already been launched.