Schools, Junior Colleges, Multiplexes, Single Screen Cinema Halls and even some shopping malls have been closed on a temporary basis to avoid the spread of the swine flue H1N1 virus. Schools, Junior colleges and even private coaching classes have been ordered to close down for a week. All Multiplexes and single screen cinema halls will remind closed for next three day.

Mumbai considered as the financial and commercial capital of the country has till now reported 3 deaths due to the deadly virus. The state of Maharashtra has had 11 deaths of the total 19 in the country. The state Chief Minister confirmed there is no state of panic and this step is only a prevention measure. He also said that this decision to shutdown after many residents and public bodies came back to the minister with the same suggestion. As per the minister this would only impact four working days the remaining three of the seven days are holidays.

Most of the people who have been confirmed as cases of swine flu have contracted the virus outside country.  As per the latest reports Bangalore reported its first swine flu death on 13th August. The death toll in the country due to the H1N1 has now increased to 21.

On Tuesday afternoon, two more cases of swine flu deaths have been reported from Gujarat and Maharashtra. The 63-year old elderly lady, Sayeeda Dorjeewala, a resident of Mumbra, in close by Thane district was admitted on 6th August to the Noor hospital in Mumbai, died after enduring major health complications subsequent to being tested affirmative for the H1N1 virus. Earlier, the 53-year old Famida Panwala was the earliest swine flu victim from Mumbai. This sums up the death toll in Maharashtra that has steadily increased to seven.

In Vadodara, Gujarat, a seven year old minor girl also died after succumbing to swine flu in Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad Hospital, a Government hospital. The seven year old girl identified as Arya Borde was admitted to the hospital in a precarious condition last Wednesday. Her swabs were sent for viral pneumonitis analysis to the National Center for Disease Control or NCDC located in Delhi that came out to be affirmative on 8th August.

Ravi Saxena, the Principal Secretary of Health said that the girl had been started on a dose of Tamiflu following her admission to the SSG hospital and was kept on ventilator support from 7th August. This morning her health deteriorated considerably and she died at close to 12:30 hours.

This ups the death count in Gujarat to two, with the first fatality being the 43-year old NRI, Praveen Patel who passed away on Sunday in a civil hospital.

All the four latest swine flu victims in Pune belong to the schools in that city. Two of them were from Symbiosis School located in Prabhat road while the remaining two belonged to the New India School.

Of the total count of 48 persons who have contracted swine flu in Pune, thirty three of them are students from schools located there. On Sunday, a helpline service has been put into place by the local authorities to provide assistance to anxious kin.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, there were sixteen fresh cases accounted of swine flu across India raising the tally to 429. The ministry has stated that of the 1,946 individuals who had been tested, 429 turned out to be positive.

Of the four cases reported from Delhi, one was of a 14-yr old girl student from Vasant Valley School located in Vasant Kunj, who had arrived from Britain. The class she belonged to has been suspended for a few days. The other case was that of a thirty year old man who had come back from Singapore and had displayed symptoms on arrival, following which he was taken to a health care facility. A twenty year old man in Delhi has been infected from an individual who had previously been tested affirmative with the H1N1 virus.

Of the confirmed swine flu cases, seven individuals were detected with the virus in Pune, two cases from Kozhikode and one case each cited from Gurgaon, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

An aggregate of 1,549 individuals who have been tested, 298 are affirmative cases of the swine flu virus. About 181 people have been released after been treated from health service organisations.

There were 13 new found laboratory corroborated cases cited with three each from Gurgaon and Delhi, two each from Hyderabad and Chandigarh and one each from Punjab, Pune and Kerala.

In Delhi, the reported three cases comprised of a two teen boy and girl, who had contracted the virus from an infected source. The third case was a seven year old boy who made a trip from London to Delhi on July 18 and was detected with swine flu-like symptoms and was admitted to a health care facility where the virus was confirmed on Sunday.

In Chandigarh, a 29 year old doctor from PGIMER who had lately been at a seminar in Britain and a 50 year old elderly lady who had come back from Singapore on July 14 were suffering from sore throat and runny nose. When their travel record was studied the necessary safety measures were undertaken and they were put in secluded wards. The doctor has been admitted to the PGIMER and the elderly woman is put up in a government run hospital.

An Eight year old boy from Roopnagar, Punjab, who has made a trip from Singapore through Bangkok when landed in Delhi was diagnosed with the virus. In Kerala, a six year old boy from Kasargod who had come back from Sharjah on 14 July, was put up in a hospital post his visible swine flu symptoms.

In Gurgaon, three girls of the ages 11, 14 and 8 years caught the virus from another school mate. In Hyderabad, two people, one a physician hailing from Riyadh and another from Malaysia were tested positive ensuing which they were quarantined at the Andhra Pradesh Chest Hospital that has been the core centre tending to swine flu cases. This ups the toll in Hyderabad to 39 of whom 30 have been cured and released. In Pune, a 13-yr old girl caught the infection from an infected batch mate in her school.

Two of the four students of an English medium school located at Karve Road, Pune have been confirmed to have contracted the (H1N1) swine flu virus and are being treated in Naidu Hospital. The outcome of the test results on the third student is expected shortly.

Vigilant health care officers chose to close down a class VII class of the English Medium School for a week on Wednesday after a boy and girl student were tested positive for the swine flu virus.  The infected boy, who had transferred the virus to his two batch mates, had a family member who had been in the US for 10 months to partake in the exchange programme of the American Field Service. From the nine students hailing from Maharashtra who travelled for the exchange programme, there were five who caught the flu.

Prophylactic treatment is being administered to those who have been in close range of these infected children, even though no evident symptoms might be evident.

There have been rising cases of suspected swine flu infections in schools in Delhi. The affected students are in their teens, many of whom had made a trip to Malaysia and Singapore. Three schools in Delhi have been advised to be watchful in that regard.

An elderly woman and a 24-year old man Haj pilgrim from Iran currently come back from a pilgrimage have tested affirmative for the swine flu virus, bringing Iran’s count to three.

Annually, close to two million ardent Muslims throng Mecca that is revered as the most pious pilgrim destinations in Islam. Staunch adherents many times undertake a holy trip to Umra, a comparatively lesser significant pilgrimage that can be ventured through the year.

The current cases bring to light the rising fears that the Muslim pilgrimage will accelerate the spread of the H1N1 virus. Saudi Arabia that hosts the Haj pilgrimage organised a workshop in June to spread awareness that expecting women, children and aged with debilitating illness should abstain from going to the Haj Pilgrimage in November. The health officials have advised travellers to take the seasonal flu shot prior to taking a trip to the holy pilgrimage.

Contamination cases in the Middle East are comparatively low with 1,100 cases and no fatalities. Saudi Arabia has 114 cases of reported swine flu infections. Saudi Arabia along with Bahrain and Oman have issued an advice to restate the need for basic hygiene instructions like covering the face when sneezing or coughing and the frequent use of antibacterial hand wash and gels. Saudi Arabia has already organised quarantine services at key airports with the notion to skim out possibly infected pilgrims to safe secluded areas. A major swine flu awareness campaign is set to be launched in Saudi Arabia and the UAE prior to the Haj season.

A major international diplomatic disaster almost occurred as the premier case of swine flu made its presence felt in Downing Street. Michael Jacobs, the key climate change consultant to the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown was believed to have contracted the A(H1N1) virus whilst on a work related trip to Mexico. Mexico is the place where the virus originated and later spread to other countries.

Jacobs was consequently barred from going to the G8 summit that was being held in Italy fearing he would infect others, leading to a diplomatic debacle. Jacobs has taken a journey to Rome to undertake initial intercession regarding the G8 communique text. His doctor had given him the go ahead stating that he was completely treated. On the doctor’s recommendation, he intended to visit Italy for the conference being held in L’Aquila when he was advised by Gordon Brown to refrain from taking the trip as he did not want to take the risk.

The Guardian has mentioned that there were no other people in Brown’s staff who have caught the swine flu virus. Suitable course of action for disinfection would be followed if the situation were to occur.

Jacob is amongst the most knowledgeable climate change consultants who nonattendance in the G8 talks will be certainly considered a major setback.

Jacobs was reportedly mum regarding this matter as he passed out circulars to those keen in climate change and the various hurdles in acquiring the security deal in Copenhagen later in the year.

With the Health Minister, Juan Manzur confirming the death toll from the A(H1N1) virus mounting to a humongous 86,the official estimate and constantly rising. There have been close to 2, 677 confirmed swine flu cases so far. The provincial health minister, Claudio Zin has suggested reducing one-on-one contact especially in mass crowds and gatherings to avoid matters escalating out of hand.

Argentina is the only country in the southern hemisphere to be severely bolted by the severity of the deadly virus with a relatively high rate of morbidity. Argentina now stands third in row for swine flu mortalities after US and Mexico where the pandemic first made its presence felt and has lately outdone even Canada.

As the epidemic spreads its deadly roots during the winter season, many Argentines preferred to remain homebound, several churches in Bolivia including the Bolivian Roman Catholic Church called off weekday masses. Churches in East Santa Cruz city, the hot bed for the virus, having greater than two-thirds of the country’s reported swine flu cases had the bishopric propose that adulators steer clear of the church and rather listen to the mass on television or radio.

Commercial institutions comprising banks, trade quarters, courts, stock exchange were closed for a day all over Argentina. This coalesced with the Independence Day holiday on Thursday, summing up to a four-day holiday weekend wherein most preferred not to venture into crowds or meet up outsiders.

The President, Cristina Fernandez announced a day’s leave to federal public workers with many government organisations followed the day off, along with the densely populated Buenos Aires province. The government has increased the winter vacations twofold to make it one month in case of schools. Expecting women and several susceptible employees have been given leave for 15 days.

Many cinemas have been closed, public occasions have been put on hold and restaurants have devised the policy to maintain a 3-yard distance in between tables.