Five new swine flu cases take India's tally to 78

New Delhi: Five people, including three children, tested positive on Thursday for the swine flu, taking the total number of influenza A (H1N1) virus cases in India to 78, health officials said.

"About 588 persons have been tested so far, of which 78 are positive for Influenza A (H1N1). Of these, six are indigenous cases, who got the infection from the positive cases who travelled from abroad," an official statement issued here said.

Of the five new cases reported on Thursday, two are from Gurgaon, one each from Delhi, Pune and Kolkata.

In Gurgaon, a 19-year-old young man, who had travelled from Minnesota in the US to London where he stayed for 10 days before reaching Delhi on June 21, was tested positive for the flu. He reported of fever and cough June 22.

The second case from the satellite town on the outskirts of the national capital is a 10-year-old girl, who travelled from New York to New Delhi June 19. But on June 21, she was found to be suffering from fever, cough and sore throat.

"Both of them were under home quarantine, but are being shifted to health facility on testing positive," he said.

In Delhi, a young girl, whose parents were tested positive for the virus earlier, was found to be infected with the flu.

The six-year-old girl had travelled from Miami in the US via Frankfurt and had reached Delhi on June 18.

In Pune, a 29-year-old man, who travelled from San Francisco in the US via Hong Kong and Mumbai, was admitted to a health facility after he developed fever, chills, sore throat and headache after reaching the city on June 24.

In Kolkata, a seven-year-old girl has tested positive. She had come from Melbourne to Kolkata via Bangkok on June 23. She was detected at the airport screening centre and was shifted to an identified health facility.

"Of the 78 cases, fifty have been discharged. Rest of them remain admitted to the identified health facility," the statement said.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), on June 24 about 55,867 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A infection were reported from 108 countries. There have been 238 deaths, mostly from Mexico and the US.