Shimla: Himachal Pradesh assembly speaker Dr Rajeev Bindal has been tested positive for swine flu. The speaker himself informed the House regarding this on the fourth day of the budget session on Thursday. So far since January this year swine flu has killed 16 people while 139 have been tested positive. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said fresh directions would be issued to health authorities to wage a battle against H1N1.Bindal conducted the proceedings of the budget session on Thursday and when the house passed the proposal on governor’s address, Bindal himself informed the members about being tested positive for swine flu. For the last couple of days, he was having a cough and fever after which he got himself checked at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Shimla, where tests were conducted and swine flu was confirmed. Now for next few days, deputy speaker Hans Raj would conduct proceedings of the house.On February 4, health minister Vipin Singh Parmar had made a statement in the assembly stating that treatment of seasonal flu was symptomatic and anti-viral (if required) with the consultation of doctors. He had stated that mass vaccination had no role as virus gets mutated approximately after every three months.Of the total 16 H1N1 deaths reported so far in Himachal Pradesh, maximum five deaths have been reported from Kangra district followed by three in Mandi, two each from Shimla, Una and Hamirpur districts while one each from Solan and Bilaspur.

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