By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 13, 2017: The deadly swine flu has so far claimed eight lives in Odisha while 103 persons are now affected by the disease in the state, the state health secretary PK Meherda said on Sunday.

There is no need to panic as Odisha government is taking all possible steps to tackle Swine Flu and dengue outbreak in State, he added soon after a review meeting.

Meanwhile, two deaths were reported due to dengue in the state.

“There is no need to panic even though other parts of the country have reported spurt in positive cases and casualties. Most of the swine flu cases reported in Odisha are migration cases,” said Meherda.

The health secretary further stated that vaccinations are only being given to doctors and other para medical staff engaged in the handling of swine flu patients. But general public is advised not to take vaccines without consulting doctors.

The official said 16 of 28 samples tested positive for swine flu on Sunday, as the number of affected persons increased to 103.

A total of 342 samples have been tested so far, he added.

A total of eight people had died of dengue while nearly 4,000 positive cases were reported last year.

On the other hand highest number of dengue cases was reported from Bhadrak district. As per government records 47 persons have tested positive but unofficial sources claim there are 57 dengue patients. While 10 persons were afflicted with the virus in the district, rest 47 persons carried the virus from Mumbai, Surat and Bengaluru.

It has been alleged that the health department is not taking any curative measures to tackle the situation as a result of which the residents of the district are panicked.