As many as 126 persons have tested positive for H1N1 virus in the last fortnight in the city which has recorded the highest number of Swine flu casualties (40) in the country and the situation was "alarming", according to a senior state health official.

Additional health director Dr Ashok Mehta told reporters that the infection was becoming wide-spread among students once again with many schools reporting positive cases in recent days.

Nine persons tested positive on Friday and 243 suspected cases were being given Tamiflu tablets, he added. The rate of the H1N1 infection had shown an upward trend since Ganesh festival despite public appeals to avoid overcrowding, health department sources said.

Thirteen patients are currently in ICU of different hospitals with five on ventilator support, hospital sources said.