Swine flu death toll reaches 624 across country

The death toll due to swine flu has now crossed the 624 mark across the country with Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra being the worst-affected states.

Health Minister JP Nadda on Tuesday said that the swine flu death toll has reached 624 till February 16, across the Country.

In Maharashtra, at least 51 people have succumbed to the H1N1 virus, taking the total number of cases registered to 352 since January this year.

The total number of people tested positive in Uttar Pradesh rose to 125, with the state capital reporting 88 such cases so far. In Madhya Pradesh, as many as 81 people have lost their lives.

In Rajasthan 11 more persons succumbed to swine flu in last 24 hours, taking the toll to 176 this year.

The death toll in Delhi and Tamil Nadu, though, is comparatively low even though the disease is wide spread.

Health Ministry officials have reportedly sent central teams to the worst-affected states like Rajasthan and Gujarat. In Rajasthan, maximum deaths from the H1N1 virus are reported in the capital city where 30 people have died from January 1 to February 16. 

Related read: 5 ways to protect yourself against Swine Flu 

Swine flu is an infection caused by several kinds of swine influenza viruses. The virus is mostly common in pig populations around the globe. While rare, when the virus is transmitted from pigs to humans it is known as zoonotic swine flu.