IANS
 
Bangalore, Jun 20: With seven swine flu cases reported in Bangalore, the Karnataka government on Saturday announced the setting up of a second isolation ward to treat patients with HIN1 flu symptoms.

The second ward at the state-run Victoria Hospital in the city centre will have eight beds.

"Out of the seven confirmed swine flu cases in Bangalore, six patients are undergoing treatment at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD), and one in Lakeside Hospital," said RGICD director Shashidhar Buggi.

Lakeside Medical Centre and Hospital, a private facility in the city, has also started treating patients with swine flu symptoms.

"We don't want to take any chances and are making sure that adequate arrangements are in place to treat patients affected by swine flu," health commissioner Shrinivasachari said.

The latest swine flu case in Bangalore is of a 36-year-old engineer, who arrived in the city from Germany June 14. He tested positive for H1N1 virus on Friday.

A two-year-old who came from the US on Tuesday too tested positive.

The boy was undergoing treatment at the Lakeside Hospital, while the engineer is under observation at RGICD.

According to media reports, five farmers from Karnataka who have gone to China on a study tour have contracted the H1N1 flu virus. However, there is no official confirmation of the report.

The farmers are part of a 105-member team that left for China from Bangalore on June 17 on a two-week tour.