Swine Flu Outbreak In India: New Delhi Records First Death As Woman Dies Of H1N1 Virus

India's capital New Delhi recorded its first swine flu death this winter when a 51-year-old woman died from the disease at a local hospital, media reports said Friday.

The woman, who hailed from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, about 20 miles northeast of New Delhi, had been admitted to a local hospital after she complained of fever and cold, NDTV, a local news network reported, adding that she later tested positive for the flu. The woman reportedly died of multiple organ failure on Wednesday. Swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus, is a respiratory infection that damages organs such as lungs, causing pneumonia by weakening the immune system.

Authorities reportedly said that the woman was brought to the hospital on Sunday in a critical condition with both lungs damaged. Two cases of swine flu have been reported in the city until now, but it is unclear from local reports if the latest reported death is one of them.

Three people have died from swine flu in the southern Indian state of Telangana this month, while more than a dozen were hospitalized. Doctors also warned that low temperatures during winter could cause the virus to last longer in the atmosphere.

More than 40 people have reportedly died of the flu in India this year. In 2013, an outbreak of swine flu claimed the lives of at least 600 people.