Two fresh swine flu cases were reported from Kerala, raising the total number of affected persons in the state to 71.

A doctor, who was screening air passengers at the Nedumbassery airport, and a 19-year-old engineering student, who arrived from Pune, were found to have contracted the disease.

Hospital sources said that the treatment of the two had already begun.

As per the latest, nearly 20 persons are in hospitals in different parts of the state with symptoms of swine flu.

Meanwhile, a team of Indian Medical Association (IMA) also organized a workshop for doctors in Kochi on Sunday.

Apart from this, as a precautionary measure, the Kerala branch of the IMA also announced that it would instruct and sensitize over 3,000 private hospitals and 20,000 doctors in the state to deal with swine flu cases.

The state reported its first swine flu fatality on August 11 with a 35-year-old man succumbing to the virus at a private hospital in Thiruvanathapuram.