Swine flu death toll hits 58 in Iran

Swine flu has claimed the lives of 58 people across Iran as the national tally of infections passes 2660, the country's Health Ministry said.

“Twenty more Iranians died last week from the swine flu, raising the number of A-H1N1-related deaths in the country to 58,” said the director of the Health Ministry's Center for Disease Control, Mohammad-Mehdi Gouya.

Iran's Ministry of Education officials have closed many schools around the country amid rising fears of an A-H1N1 flu epidemic. On Tuesday officials closed more than 100 schools in Iran's northwestern province of Zanjan.

Following the infection of five students with swine flu, and identification of another 12 suspected cases, the education organization of Zanjan closed 110 schools across the province.

“The schools closures are intended to prevent the swine flu virus spreading around the province,” said the head of Public Relations at Zanjan Education Organization.

“Schools must be closed after the identification of flu-like symptoms in 15 percent of the students in a class or at school on three consecutive days,” Ali Esmaeili said.