Swine flu deaths spike in Himachal, 16 so far this year

Swine flu has claimed 16 lives in Himachal Pradesh so far this year against just two in 2018, state Health Minister Vipin Parmar told the Assembly on Tuesday. Two patients died here on Monday night. In a suo-motu statement, Parmar said Kangra and Shimla districts recorded 36 and 33 positive cases, respectively. In total, 113 cases have been reported in the state.

Twenty one patients suffering from swine flu were undergoing treatment at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital here, while eight were admitted in Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College in Tanda town. The state recorded two swine flu deaths in 2018, while the figures were 15 in 2017, five in 2016 and seven in 2015.

The first case of swine flu in the state came to light in 2009.