Rajasthan minister Kirori Lal Meena tests positive for swine flu

Rajasthan's Agriculture Minister Kirori Lal Meena has contracted swine flu and was admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) of Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur on Tuesday night, according to officials. The hospital immediately placed Meena under isolation and implemented strict infection control measures around his bed.

A dedicated medical team was formed to monitor his condition and provide necessary treatment. Dr. Deepak Maheshwari, principal of SMS Medical College, confirmed Meena's admission to the medical ICU. He noted that a team of doctors is continuously monitoring his health status.

Meena's diagnosis occurred shortly after the state's medical and health minister, Gajendra Singh Khinvsar, reviewed the state's readiness to handle monsoon-related illnesses such as dengue, malaria, chikungunya, scrub typhus, and swine flu. During the meeting on Tuesday, Khinvsar tasked officials with developing an action plan for the prevention and control of swine flu.

He also directed the health department to deploy teams in high-risk regions, carry out regular surveillance, and adopt a proactive stance. Rajasthan has stepped up its surveillance efforts recently due to an increase in flu cases reported in neighboring states like Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Hospitals throughout the state were instructed to prepare isolation beds and make other required preparations.

Health experts clarified that the current infections are part of the usual seasonal pattern of the H1N1 virus and are not associated with a new virus or strain. However, they emphasized the importance of vigilance due to the rising number of cases. Rajasthan reported 129 swine flu cases during the first two weeks of August 2026, a significant increase from the 16 cases recorded during the same period last year. To date, no swine flu-related deaths have been documented in the state.