India's number of A/H1N1 flu deaths has climbed to 24 while the government on Saturday urged people not to resort to panic.

"The 24th victim was a 28-year-old man, named Manjunath, who succumbed to the disease late Friday night at a private hospital in the southern Indian state of Karnataka," a senior Indian Health Ministry official said.

However, he said that doctors are yet to ascertain whether the three people who died in the western state of Maharashtra were victims of A/H1N1 flu.

"We are still not sure though some reports say that they didn't die of swine flu. The government figure is 24," he said referring to the pandemic.

The 28-year-old's death came as Indian Prime Minister Mahmohan Singh Saturday assured the country that the government would take all necessary steps to control the spread of this infection.

Asking people not to spread panic, Singh said in his Independence Day speech: "I also want to assure you that the situation does not warrant a disruption in our daily lives because of fear and anxiety."

(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2009)