The Swiss tourist was rushed to the hospital in Jodhpur from Jaisalmer.
A 70-year-old Swiss tourist in Rajasthan's Jodhpur died of swine flu at the city's MDM hospital today morning.
The elderly woman, admitted to the hospital with pneumonia, was on ventilator, but died at 5 am today due to H1N1 virus, said Dr Dipal Varma, in charge of the infectious diseases ward in the hospital.
The Swiss national was on a holiday in Jaisalmer, nearly 300 kilometres away, when she took ill on Tuesday evening. She was rushed to Jodhpur when her condition deteriorated.
The tour guide escorting her on her holiday refused to comment or give details on exactly how many days she had spent in Rajasthan.
But the death of a foreign tourist has now set alarm bells ringing in the state's health department, especially since it is the peak tourist season in Rajasthan.
Speaking to NDTV, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje appealed to all people suffering with symptoms of swine flu to immediately seek medical help.
"Even tourist who are visiting us... there is an epidemic... if anyone finds themselves with slightest sniffles they should get themselves checked," Ms Raje said.
Health Minister Rajendra Rathore said pamphlets will be distributed at airports and railway stations in Rajasthan to warn foreign visitors about the spread of swine flu in the state and what measures to take.
In the first two months of this year alone, Rajasthan has recorded 117 deaths due to the virus while over 1,400 cases have been reported across the state. Clearly, Rajasthan has been the worst-hit and the government has made swine flu tests free in government hospitals on the recommendation of a doctor. The health department is also offering to vaccinate all health workers free of charge after two resident doctors also came down with swine flu in Jaipur this week.