Swine flu today claimed two more lives in West Bengal, taking the toll across the state to 17 since January even as 19 persons tested positive for H1N1-virus infection in the last 24 hours, a senior official of the Health department said.
"The patients who died today are adult males and were on ventilation for the last few days at a state-run hospital at Beliaghata. One is from Howrah, while another is a resident of the city. Both were shifted from private hospitals after their medical expenses went up," West Bengal Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Moloy Dey said.
Among the 19 new cases, 14 persons from the city tested positive for the disease, while one each was from North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Nadia districts, Dey elaborated.
Ten more patients from different state-run hospitals and private facilities were released after they fully recovered from swine flu in the last 24 hours, he said.
"So far, 154 patients have been released after their complete recovery and at the moment 74 patients are suffering from swine flu. While 25 are being treated at government hospitals, 49 are admitted at private facilities," Dey added.
