The Manitoba government announced 34 new confirmed cases of swine flu on Wednesday, bringing the provincial total to 260.

No additional deaths were announced, after the province recorded its first two fatalities related to the H1N1 influenza A virus on Tuesday.

A man in his 40s from the Winnipeg area and a woman in her 40s from the Nor-Man health region in north central Manitoba have died of complications from swine flu.

No additional information on the latest cases was provided by the government.

The most severe cases of H1N1 have involved aboriginal patients in the province's remote north. Many patients have been airlifted from a cluster of reserves 500 to 900 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

Aboriginal leaders have said that poor living conditions, including cramped housing and a lack of clean water, have made some reserves a breeding ground for the flu.

Manitoba health officials say extra support is being sent to northern Manitoba. Health Minister Theresa Oswald held a special summit with medical leaders from across the province last week and issued a public plea to doctors and nurses to help northern communities.

The call to action is continuing, the province stated in a news release on Wednesday. In addition to the usual number health-care professionals working in the north, two additional doctors and two nurse practitioners are scheduled to work in northern communities this week.

As well, about 20 nurses and 10 medical residents are set to make the trip north.

Medical professionals who are interested in temporarily working in northern communities affected by the flu outbreak can visit the government of Manitoba website and follow the "Physicians and Nurses Needed" link.