A reason is the increasing number of people infected with the H1N1 virus, which also reached an unprecedented number of 34,068 cases, according to the Ministry of Health latest report.

The most affected states are Gujarat (central-west) and Rajasthan, which together account for over a third of people who have contracted the deadly influenza. Deaths in those territories total 432 and 419, respectively, that is to say, about 70 percent of the national total.

The situation in the states of Maharashtra (west) and Madhya Pradesh (center), with 404 and 300 deaths, respectively, is also worrying.

In Delhi, the capital, the number of deaths was contained to 12, but those diagnosed with the virus reached a record figure of 4,233 cases.

It is feared that national figures of deaths and infections are higher than the official because in India there are so remote places lacking means of communication that no reports of deaths and their causes are sent.