88 swine flu cases reported in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana so far; Health Minister JP Nadda says hospitals well-equipped

Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Friday said the government is closely monitoring the situation following reports of two women being infected with swine flu, and added that hospitals are well-equipped to handle such cases.

"The chances of swine flu are higher when there is a change in the weather. We are constantly monitoring the situation and have given instructions to the hospitals to be prepared to handle the cases. Our hospitals are capable of handling the situation, so there is no need to be worried," Nadda told ANI here.

"If anyone feels such symptoms then he should visit the nearest hospital and get it checked," he added.

Two women, one from Telangana and another from Andhra Pradesh, were reported to be infected with swine flu earlier in the day.

In 2014, 88 cases of swine flu were reported in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh together; of them 22 cases were reported in the last week of December alone. Around 10 persons reportedly died of swine flu last year.

Noting that swine flu is not a life-threatening disease for healthy people, P Sambasiva Rao, Director of Health of Telangana, had said that the government had taken various steps for checking the spread of the disease.

arlier last week, a 51-year-old woman from Ghaziabad died of multiple organ failure at national capital's Ganga Ram hospital after testing positive for swine flu.