IANS

Bangalore, Sep 16: With three new swine flu deaths being reported from Karnataka, the death toll due to the H1N1 virus in the state reached 69, a health official said here Wednesday.

All three victims died in Bangalore. While two died in government-run hospitals, one death was reported from a hospital run privately.

The victims were a 17-year-old boy, a 27-year-old woman and a 24-year-old woman.

All three died Sep 13. However, the report confirming that all three victims tested positive for the virus was received only on Sep 15, a health official said.

In its effort to end the rapid spread of the H1N1 virus, Bangalore's municipal corporation Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in association with the health department is continuing its surveillance programme in various parts of the city.

"The active surveillance programme in BBMP areas has completed its third phase, covering 4,500 households. Sensitisation programmes for doctors in Bangalore's urban and rural districts have also been completed," BBMP Special Commissioner Maheshwara Rao told IANS.

Meanwhile, 19 new positive cases were reported in the state, taking the total number of positive cases to 793. While 16 were from Bangalore, two were from Chikkaballapur and one from Bagalkot.