A woman who has been afflicted with swine flu is struggling for life at a private hospital in Margao for the last few days.

The woman, the first resident Goan, hailing from Salcete, has been on ventilator for past several days. It has been reported the woman had not travelled outside the state in all probability and had acquired the disease in the state itself from some already afflicted person.

Over the last three days, 19 new suspected cases of swine flu have been reported in the state.

Meanwhile, the core committee of the state formed to oversee the arrangements to deal with swine flu met at the state Secretariat on Monday and chalked out strategies to deal with the situation in accordance with the central government guidelines.