India's swine flu toll rises to 17

A 45 year old man and a 50-year-old woman died of swine flu in Pune onu00a0Wednesday afternoon, taking the death toll up to 17 in India. With this 10 people have died of the contagious virus in Pune.

Nita Meghani, who was admitted to the Sasoon Hospital in a critical condition four days ago, died this afternoon, the Maharashtra Swine Flu Control Room said.

Gautam Shelar, also admitted in Sasoon Hospitalu00a0became the 17th swine flu victim.

A Maharashtra schoolboy succumbed to swine flu just hours after three others in the state died of the same disease on Wednesday morning, officials said. With these deaths, the toll due to the viral infection has risen to 11 in the state and 15 in the country.

Babu Genu Kuland died in the Sassoon Hospital here at about 11 am. The resident of Pimpri town, near Pune, was hospitalised three days ago in serious condition, according to Pune Municipal Corporation (Health Department) chief SR Pardeshi.

Another Pimpri resident, Sanjay Mistry, 35, died in Sassoon Hospital early Wednesday. He was hospitalised Sunday in a critical condition and put on a ventilator, according to an official of the State Swine Flu Control Room.

Barely hours after Mistry succumbed to the influenza A (H1N1) infection, Shravani Deshpande, 29, died of the same disease.

Deshpande breathed her last around 3 am. She had been hospitalised here three days ago with pneumonia and later found to be suffering from swine flu. She was then put on ventilator.

Rakesh Gangurde, a medico in Nashik Civil Hospital, also succumbed to swine flu around 3 am, said civil surgeon AD Bhal Singh.

Gangurde was admitted to hospital in an unconscious state two days ago and put on a ventilator. The test report confirming that he had swine flu was received by the hospital late Tuesday night.

Earlier, five people in Pune, two in Mumbai, two in Gujarat, one each in Tamil Nadu and Kerala had died of swine flu.