As deaths due to swine flu continued to rise, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday discussed with Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar the situation arising out of the spread of the viral disease.
The meeting, also attended by Health Secretary Naresh Dayal, came soon after two more deaths due to swine flu were reported in the country, and discussed the measures to contain further spread of the disease.
Swine flu has so far claimed six lives. A 35-year-old Ayurvedic doctor on Monday died of swine flu in Pune, while a four-year-old boy lost his life due to the virus in Chennai.
With the spread of viral infection going up, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had on Sunday asked the Health Ministry to co-ordinate with the state governments' efforts to contain further spread of the disease.
Singh had also asked Azad to take steps to remove misinformation and educate people about the disease.
Sources in the Prime Minister's Office said that the prime minister told Azad to set up a panel of experts and doctors to spread correct information about the H1N1 virus that causes swine flu.
Azad on Sunday advised state governments to set up separate Out-Patient Department sections and wards in hospitals to screen and treat patients suffering from the deadly viral disease.
