Forty persons have died in Kerala in the last four months due to H1N1 influenza, minister for Health K K Shylaja told the Assembly on Monday.

“From January this year, 2,349 persons were screened for H1N1, out of which around 500 were found positive and 40 persons have died so far,” she said in the state assembly. 

"Those who died of H1N1 were also suffering from other diseases," the minister added. 

She was replying to a motion moved by Congress legislator and former Health Minister V S Sivakumar seeking discussion over contagious diseases and various types of fever spreading in the state. 

"Medicines are available in all government hospitals and the government has taken all effective measures to bring the situation under control," she said. 

V S Sivakumar alleged that the health department was under 'ventilator' when diseases were spreading. 

"Within the past four months, over 2,000 persons were affected by H1N1 and in the last 20 days 20 persons died," Sivakumar said.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala alleged that the government has failed to take any action in containing contagious diseases in the state, Mathrubhumi online reports.

Kerala has been facing another fever season. Thiruvananathapuram is the worst hit by fever, with the maximum number of dengue cases. According to data of the Directorate of Health Services 68 persons have died of fever in the state, till the middle of this year. As many as 775 people died of fever from 2011 to 2016.  As per the data from January to May 15 2017 a total of 3500 cases of dengue fever were reported in the state, out which five were fatal.