96 swine flu cases reported across India

Swine flu cases saw a surge today with 96 fresh cases being reported across the country, taking the number of those afflicted with the virus to 711. "Pune, which has witnessed the only fatality of the disease so far, saw the highest number of 37 cases being reported," Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry Vineet Chawdhry told reporters in Delhi.
    
The 96 cases included four in Chennai, 13 in Delhi, three in Kolkata, six in Gurgaon, 16 in Mumbai, 10 in Bangalore, three in Mangalore, four in Hyderabad and one in Calicut among others. Health Secretary Naresh Dayal, however, said there was no need to panic as a study on the spread of the disease has shown that till now the disease was spreading indigenously only among 10 per cent of those exposed to the virus.
    
"There is a need to take precautions by vulnerable groups like children and those already suffering from some disease," he said. Health ministry records show that those most affected by the virus were in the age-group of 10-14 years.
    
A total of 129 persons in the age-group of 10-14 years have been affected while 117 were in the age-group of 20-29 and 100 were aged between 15-19. "This is probably one of the reasons why it is spreading so fast in India as our country has a large younger population," he added.
    
Assuring that there were huge stocks of Tamiflu available with the government, he said, the government might soon allow private labs to carry out swine flu tests provided they get accredited.