Rajasthan continues to remain worst hit with swine flu as the death toll hit 85, while 2,263 patients have been found positive with the influenza, according to National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) report released on February 3.

According to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the H1N1 virus commonly known as swine flu has so far claimed 226 lives across the country.

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With the arrangement in five new colleges, swine flu tests are now being conducted at 50 places across the state.

On Wednesday, a meeting was held by the health ministry headed by Secretary Preeti Sudan to review on action taken to deal swine flu.

The health ministry said that it has deputed a Public Health Team to Rajasthan to assess the situation and assist the states in strengthening response to the increase in cases. Additional teams to Gujarat and Punjab to assist the states in outbreak response has also been ordered.

“Regular video conferences are being held to monitor the situation. States have been advised to involve district collectors in enhancing public awareness and outbreak response,” the ministry stated.

Gujarat has the second most number of deaths (43) followed by Punjab (30), while more than 6,600 cases have been recorded in 2019.

16 people have lost their lives in Himachal Pradesh this year, said Health and Family Welfare minister Vipin Singh Parmar in a suo motu statement in the state Assembly on Tuesday.

Parmar informed the House that since January 1, 2019, as many as 321 cases were tested and 105 people were found positive for the seasonal flu (33 in Shimla, 32 in Kangra, 11 in Bilaspur, eight in Mandi, six in Solan, five each in Hamirpur and Chamba, two in Una, and one each in Kullu and Sirmaur districts).

The minister said Himachal had reported 123, 14, 77 and seven cases during last four years (2015-18) and the number of deaths during the period was 27, 5, 15 and two, respectively.

An alert was also been sounded in Uttarakhand after 11 people died of swine flu in less than one month, mostly in Dehradun, health officials informed.

(With agency inputs)