Mumbai, Aug 11 - Maharashtra, which has witnessed seven of India's 10 swine flu deaths, Tuesday recorded 81 new cases, taking to 408 the total number of people infected in the state , while the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) ordered a five-day closure of all schools under it.
Among the new patients, 74 were in Pune, six in Panchgani and one in Mumbai, State Swine Flu Control Room head Pradip Awati said.
Of the people under treatment in various hospitals, six in Pune's Sassoon Hospital and two in Mumbai's Hiranandani Hospital are serious, he said.
'They are all on ventilators and we are constantly monitoring their condition,' he added.
In the meantime, a whopping 35,000 people in Pune have been screened for H1N1 and another 4,500 in Mumbai as panicky citizens rushed to various screening centres opened in public and private hospitals.
Among the seven deaths in the state, five have been in Pune and two in Mumbai.
Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sharvari Gokhale said Tuesday evening that the latest (second) victim in Mumbai, who passed away Monday morning, was suffering from pneumonia.
'After her death, the Noor Hospital sent her blood samples for check which were received today and were found positive for swine flu,' Gokhale told media persons.
Shahida Abdul Aziz Warsi, a 63-year-old resident of Mumbra suburb of adjoining Thane district, passed away Monday, becoming the seventh victim of swine flu in the state.