Pune/Ahmedabad/New Delhi, Aug 9 - The contagious swine flu claimed two more lives in India Sunday, taking the national death toll in just a week to four and forcing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office to start monitoring the gradually spreading virus.

Authorities in Maharashtra and Gujarat -- which account for all four deaths -- were on high alert after the latest fatalities even as the total number of cases across the country neared 800.

The latest victims of influenza A (H1NI) were Sanjay Kokare, a village school teacher who died in a Pune hospital, and Pravin Patel of Atlanta in the US who had flown into Ahmedabad a week ago. Patel's wife is in critical condition.

Kokare died in Pune's Sassoon Hospital after midnight Saturday.

Ashok Ladda, additional director of the state family welfare department, said that Kokare was admitted initially to a hospital in Khedegaon village near Pune July 31.

He was sent home after two days. But his condition deteriorated again and he was taken to a private hospital in Pune. He was moved to Sassoon Hospital two days back and was on ventilator when he died, Ladda said.

Pravin Patel died at the civil hospital in Gujarat's main city Ahmedabad early Sunday. He and his wife had tested positive for swine flu Saturday.

'This is the first swine flu death in Ahmedabad. The patient had other complications as well. He had viral pneumonia, which is very difficult to treat. His haemoglobin was low. All these added to the complications of swine flu,' Gujarat Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas told IANS.

The latest deaths prompted Manmohan Singh to tell Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad that a panel of doctors be formed to provide the people 'correct information' regarding swine flu.

According to an official in the Prime Minister's Office, Manmohan Singh said the panel should also provide proper information to the media.

Even as the authorities battled swine flu, an ugly row erupted after Azad said that swine flu was contagious and those who had fallen victim to it could have passed on the virus to others.

His remarks that 14-year-old Pune school girl Reeda Shaikh, who died Aug 3 becoming India's first swine flu victim, could have spread the virus to 80 people by visiting more than one hospital triggered an angry response from her grieving family.

'One small girl went from one hospital to another, then a third hospital to get treatment and then a fourth, without awareness.