Hyderabad: Nine people tested positive for swine flu on Monday, the youngest being a seven-month infant from ECIL. Two brothers, aged two years and seven months are being treated in a private hospital for H1N1.

Health officials suspect that the elder brother must have contracted it from outside and due to that the younger one got infected. With severe fever and running nose, they were rushed by their parents to hospital and doctors have put them on anti-viral medicines.

Another two-year old has also tested positive and is being treated in another hospital in the city. The number of children tested positive in January is 13.

This shows that children below five years have to be vaccinated for H1N1 in the next season, said paediatrician Dr Karuna Modak. “We need to understand the contact and study the reason in children below five years. The awareness levels have to now be towards the targeted groups like mothers, pregnant woman and senior citizens,” she added.

The other five cases are from Ranga Reddy, Mahabubnagar and Hyderabad city areas. The total number of cases till January 12 is 56.