He said those private labs that adhere to these guidelines should inform the states. 'Our people could go and check whether they can do the tests,' he said.

Azad said a total of 864 cases of swine flu have been reported so far, of which 523 have been discharged, and 341 are under treatment, while six people have died.

The health minister said they have also decided to continue monitoring and screening at the 22 international airports in the country as they have been able to detect swine flu cases at the airport.

He said a total of over 4.5 million people were screened at the airports, of whom 635 were found to be positive. 'We will not discontinue it (screening),' he said.

Azad said four thermal scanners have been installed at the international airports and these have helped detect people with flu-like symptoms.

He said the country has 10 million Tamiflu capsules and the ministry has distributed two thirds of it to the various states. 'In today's meeting, we have decided to stockpile another 20 million,' he added.

Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrashekar was also present at the meeting.