Jammu, Feb 19 (IANS): A police superintendent in Jammu and Kashmir died of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) Thursday and doctors are awaiting confirmation whether he died of swine flu. A total of 84 H1N1 cases have been confirmed in the state.

Sunil Gupta, superintendent of police posted at the zonal headquarters in Jammu, died in a local hospital after complaining of acute respiratory distress. He was admitted for respiratory problems for the last five days.

Doctors told the media ARDS was the apparent cause of the patient's death.

"We cannot confirm whether or not the patient died of swine flu unless we get clinical reports of the samples sent to ascertain whether ARDS was caused by swine flu or something else," a doctor told reporters here.

Health department officials Wednesday sounded an alert in the Kashmir Valley after two patients died in the super-specialty Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar.

The doctors confirmed that 71 patients who Wednesday tested positive for H1N1 were being treated at the hospital, while 13 were admitted Thursday, taking the total to 84.

An advisory has been issued for the public that included frequent washing of hands with soap, avoiding shaking hands, warm water salt gargles, frequent use of fluids and vitamin C rich citrus fruits and use of breathing masks.

In the advisory, people suffering from cold have been asked to approach a hospital to rule out H1N1 infection.

Doctors said if the number of patients with respiratory problems does not fall in the coming two-three days, authorities should not reopen schools in Kashmir after the winter recess ends next week.