Bhopal, Aug 14 - The number of suspected swine flu patients in Madhya Pradesh has risen to 48, with 18 fresh swab samples sent for testing, officials said Friday.

'So far 21 samples from Bhopal, 12 from Indore, 13 from Jabalpur and two samples from Rewa have been sent for testing,' said Health Services director Ashok Sharma.

However, C.B. Solanki, a doctor at the J.P. Hospital - the nodal hospital here for swine flu control - said there was nothing to fear.

'We haven't received final reports yet. So we cannot say that swine flu is spreading. As people are reading about it in newspapers, they are approaching hospitals to get themselves checked. But there is nothing to panic,' he said.

A three-member central government team that visited Hamidia Hospital, J.P. Hospital and the swine flu control room Friday expressed satisfaction over the preparations to tackle the viral disease.

Around 10,000 Tamiflu tablets, 100 bottles of Tamiflu syrup, 500 PPE kits, 500 N95 masks and 5,000 triple-layer masks have been provided by the central government.