632 die of swine flu in India, 303 in Maharashtra alone

of 632 people have died from swine flu or H1N1 between January 1 and July 16 this year in India, according to latest government figures. There have been a total of 13,188 confirmed cases. Last year, 265 people had died of swine flu. Maharashtra is at the top of the list of affected states and Union territories. There have been 2,738 confirmed cases of H1N1 in the state, while 303 people have died. Karnataka has the second-highest number of confirmed cases —2,480. Other states with high number of confirmed cases include Telangana (1,450) and Kerala (1,169). Other than Maharashtra, Gujarat (81), Kerala (66) and Rajasthan (59) have reported high number of deaths. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued an advisory that vulnerable groups such as diabetics, cardiac patients, people who are HIV positive or have full-blown AIDS, pregnant women, children and the elderly should get vaccinated.