Hyderabad: The number of swine flu cases is increasing in the city and at least six persons have succumbed in the last fortnight.

Yet, district surveillance officers are doing little to find out how the disease is being contracted and spread in the various localities.

The case of a 17-month-old infant who contracted swine flu is a case in point. The Institute of Preventive Medicine confirmed that the baby had contracted swine flu and he was shifted to Gandhi Hospital where he has been kept in isolation.

A senior doctor said, “We have kept the baby in a separate ward for children. The baby is responding well to medicines and is stable.”

But the infant’s relatives have not been contacted by health officers to check how many people came in contact with him in the last three days or to determine how the baby contracted the infection.

One of the three recently admitted swine flu patients is now critical.

A senior officer of the district medical and health department said, “It is not an alarming situation. There is no need for officers to carry out medical investigation as the virus is in the air and those who are weak are likely to contract it. People have to be alert and take precautions.”

A 26-year-old woman from ECIL is still undergoing treatment at Gandhi Hospital. A doctor told this newspaper, “She is pregnant and requires extra care. She is stable now but given her delicate condition, doctors want her to be careful and also she should avoid physical contact with people who are suffering from cold and fever.”

The total number of swine flu cases in both states at present stands at 71.

Among which eight deaths have been reported in Telangana State and five deaths have in Andhra Pradesh.