Pune/Mumbai/Bangalore/New Delhi, Aug 13 - A nine-month-old infant and three women succumbed to swine flu in India, taking the country's toll to 21 Thursday amid hectic efforts to curb the spread of the contagious virus.

Also on Thursday, 90 positive cases were reported from across the country -- Pune reporting a maximum of 43 cases, Mumbai 18, Kolhapur two, Delhi 16, Bangalore nine, Mangalore one, and Gurgaon one - taking the total number of such patients to 1,284 while 694 of them are at various stages of recovery, the health ministry said.

The latest victims were nine-month-old Swabhiman Kamble, Archana Kolhe, 37, and Bharati Goyal, 26 - all in the worst-hit city of Pune in Maharashtra - and Rupa, a 26-year-old teacher in Bangalore -- the first swine flu case in Karnataka.

Infant Kamble died at the Sahyadri Munot Hospital in Pune late Wednesday, an official said Thursday.

The official at the Maharashtra Swine Flu Control Room told IANS the infant was hospitalised early this week with flu-like symptoms. In between, he was also taken for a check-up to the Sassoon Hospital, which has been handling very serious cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection.

Kolhe died in a private hospital, Shri Nursing Home, around 3.45 p.m., the Swine Flu Control Room officials said.

Goyal died Thursday in Pune's Sassoon Hospital just before noon. She was on the ventilator in the intensive care unit (ICU), Joint Director (Health Services) P.S. Chavan told IANS.

Her test report was received this evening, confirming that she died of swine flu.

This was the 16th swine flu death in Maharashtra and 13th in Pune. Two people have died in Mumbai and one in Nashik.

In Maharashtra's neighbouring Karnataka, Rupa died at Bangalore's St. Philomena Hospital. Her test results, received Thursday, confirmed she died of swine flu.

'Her throat and nasal swabs tests have confirmed that the patient was suffering from the influenza A (H1N1) virus,' hospital director Shankar Prasad told reporters Thursday.

She was admitted in the hospital Aug 7.

'The patient was admitted with breathing problems coupled with pneumonia. Her condition started deteriorating Tuesday and she died Wednesday afternoon.