Telangana remains on high alert for swine flu

Hyderabad: Telangana will continue to be on high alert for swine flu as the state grapples with rising cases of the deadly disease.

The high alert is still on. It will continue till the positive cases come down significantly, director of state-run Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) L Narendranath told reporters here on Saturday. The alert status means health officials at different levels of the administration will take requisite measures to identify and treat swine flu patients on priority basis. Since mid-December, 20 people have succumbed to the viral disease in Telangana, where the total number of positive cases have risen to 299, of which 50 were reported yesterday, he said. The patients are undergoing treatment at different government and private hospitals, Narendranath said. As many as 893 samples were sent for examination to the city-based Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) since January 1. A total of 139 samples were sent yesterday, of this 50 tested positive for the disease, caused by the H1N1 influenza virus, he said.