496 people tested positive for swine flu o far this year in Telangana.

Telangana is seeing an alarming rise in the number of swine flu cases, with at least 496 people tested positive for the infectious seasonal influenza so far this year.

"In January, we have tested 1657 swine flu samples from across the state in which 307 turned swine flu positive," Dr K Shankar, Director of Government Institute of Preventive Medicine, told news agency ANI.

He added that in February, of the 1,108 swine flu samples tested, 189 were swine flu positive.

Dr Shankar said that rise in the number of cases could be attributed to fluctuating temperatures.

"Swine flu is persisting in this season due to fluctuations in the temperature. Mortality is less compared to the other states but the spread of the disease is more," he said.

People should take more precautions to prevent themselves from swine flu, he added.

Swine flu is an infection caused by one of several swine influenza viruses (SIV), with the H1N1 strain being the most common across the country.

H1N1 virus spreads when an individual touches an infected person or breathes droplets of coughs and sneezes that are in the air.