Eleven people have died due to swine flu in Uttarakhand in just 20 days, with latest victim being a one-year-old child, a top health department official said on January 24. 

Since the beginning of this month, 25 swine flu cases have been reported in the state out of which 11 have succumbed to the deadly virus, Director General Health Tarachandra Pant told reporters. Eleven patients suffering from the virus are still under treatment at various hospitals whereas three others have been cured and discharged from the hospitals, he said.

The latest death due to swine flu occurred January 23 when a one-year-old child succumbed to the virus at Mahant Indresh Hospital here, he said. The first swine flu death occurred at Max Hospital here on January 3 when 61-year-old Prem Mohan Kala succumbed to the virus.

However, Pant claimed the state health department was fully geared up to deal with the disease with adequate stocks of required medicines available at the hospitals and isolation wards with 176 beds set up at district and base hospitals across the state. On so many deaths occurring due to the disease in such a short span, Pant said many of the victims could not battle the virus as they were afflicted by multiple other diseases.

Swine flu is like seasonal influenza which is curable but the virus can prove to be fatal in case of diabetics, children and the elderly, he said. The most effective way to prevent the disease is going for early medical advice and avoiding contact with people when its symptoms are detected, he said.  Over 50 people had died due to swine flu in Rajasthan and three in Madhya Pradesh since the beginning of this month.