Vadodara: A 63-year-old woman died and nine persons tested positive for swine flu in the city on Monday. The total number of persons who succumbed to the disease in the city and Vadodara (rural) has gone up to to 15 this year.The fresh victim of the flu was a resident of the Yamuna Mill area on the Dabhoi Road in the city. She was being treated at a private hospital in the city where she passed away at 8.30am on Monday.The nine persons who tested positive on Monday include five from the city limits and one from the rural areas of the Vadodara district. The other cases include one each from Anand, Bharuch and Chhota udepur.With the fresh cases, the total number of persons who tested positive for swine flu in the city has gone up to 143 this year. Of these, 65 were discharged from hospitals while 67 are still under treatment. Sources said that most deaths were of elderly persons and those who had other health complications.In the rural parts of the Vadodara district, 25 persons tested positive for the viral infection and four of them died. Eight patients from the district still remain hospitalised.The rapidly spreading swine flu led to heated discussions in the general board meeting of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) on Monday. The opposition Congress alleged that it was mishandling by the civic body that had led to the grim situation. The opposition alleged that not only swine flu, but cases of other diseases like chikungunya and dengue were also trickling in.The ruling BJP defended the situation saying that swine flu was a viral disease. It claimed that it had a tendency of surfacing from time to time. The ruling party said that hardly any cases were reported for some years and it would be wrong to blame he health department or doctors for the situation.

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