By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, March 3, 2015 :

The death toll in swine flu in Odisha rose to five with one more patient falling prey to the disease here on Tuesday.

The latest victim, a 56 year old woman belonging to Aska area of Ganjam district, was under treatment here at private hospital for the past few days, informed state public health department director Kailash Dash.

“The woman had spent around one month in north India, where she got affected by the disease. She was admitted in a private hospital here on February 25. She had been put on ventilator in a critical condition,” said Mr Dash.

Of the 94 swab test conducted so far in the state, 14 have tested positive for the N1H1 virus which causes swine flu.

“The state government is undertaking a large-scale awareness programme to prevent the spread of the disease. Hospitals have also been asked to be alert. While isolation wards have been set up in most government hospitals, medicines have also been stocked up in abundance to contain the disease,” said health and family welfare minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak.

The state had registered the first swine flu death on February 2 when Aditya Narayan Jena (42) of Khordha died at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.

Besides swine flu, there had been reports of scores of people across the state hit by jaundice.