According to the union health ministry, seven new influenza deaths were reported from across the country Monday, with four fatal cases from Maharashtra and the remaining three from Delhi, Karnataka and Haryana each.

The death toll in Maharashtra touched 143, while the capital to date has reported 15 casualties and Haryana four. The 15th victim in Delhi was a 27-year-old woman who succumbed to the virus at Safdarjung Hospital. The woman, who had a rheumatic heart disorder, had undergone medical intervention at Escort Heart Institute initially. No details about the fatalities from Maharashtra and Haryana were available. H1N1 cases swelling in Himachal Pradesh Meanwhile, the virus is spreading its tentacles in Himachal Pradesh too. The General Hospital of Pinjore reported three positive cases Monday. With the new detections the total number of swine flu cases in the state has hit seven. The state’s nodal officer for swine flu, Vinod Mehta, disclosed, “Two students and a teacher of Alpine Residential School at Pinjore have tested positive.” The State Surveillance Officers disclosed that the teacher hailed from the Kangra district, while the girl and boy belonged to the Solan and Bilaspur district respectively. As a precautionary measure, the Rapid Response Teams are monitoring the family members of the patients closely. “A team of doctors visited houses of the affected patients and took measures to prevent the spread of the disease,” he said.