Six more swine flu cases detected in India, tally now 50

Six people, including two children, tested positive for the influenza A(H1N1) virus Friday, taking the total number of people affected with swine flu to 50.

"Six new cases of swine flu have been reported - three from Delhi, two from Bangalore and one from Mumbai. All of them have been quarantined at identified health facilities and their contacts are being traced," a health ministry official said.

In Delhi, a nine-year-old boy who returned from the US June 11 tested positive. He reported himself to the hospital after he developed swine flu-like symptoms June 17.

A 28-year-old man who travelled from Egypt June 13 also tested positive for swine flu.

The third patient is a human-to-human transfer case: a 66-year-old woman contracted the flu from her son, who had tested positive June 17.

"Delhi has reported three new swine flu cases, including one of human-to-human transfer. We now have 12 swine flu cases in various hospitals in the capital. We are now focusing on containing the secondary infection spreading in the capital," Delhi Health Secretary J.P. Singh told IANS.

He said the Delhi health department was closely watching the situation.

The capital accounts for four of the five human-to-human transfer cases in the country.

According to the health ministry, among the 50 cases so far, 16 patients have been discharged and the rest of the patients are stable and remain in the identified health facilities.

A two-year-old boy who travelled from the US and reached Bangalore June 14 has tested positive for swine flu. The second case was of a 36-year-old man who travelled from Germany and reached Bangalore June 14. He reported to an identified health facility June 17 and has tested positive.

A 36-year-old male who travelled from New Jersey, US, and reached Mumbai June 15 has also tested positive.

The World Health Organisation has reported 39,620 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection from 89 countries as June 17. There have been 167 deaths.

Last updated on Jun 19^th, 2009 at 19:46 pm IST--IANS