Influenza cases india

Outside a Covid-19 facility in New Delhi. Across the world, there are numerous other diseases that threaten lives at a much larger scale. (Express photo) There has never been a pandemic that has brought the world to a standstill like the novel coronavirus has over the past few months. But the fact remains that across the world, there are numerous other diseases that threaten lives at a much larger scale. India, where so far Covid-19 has claimed over 400 lives, is no exception. To put the figures of coronavirus in perspective, tuberculosis alone kills an average of 4 lakh Indians annually, and the daily average of over 1,200 is way beyond the COVID-19 fatalities in the country. Follow LIVE Updates According to the latest Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme Report, as many as 4.4 lakh people died in 2018 of TB, which is 29 per cent of the total 1.5 million deaths due to TB in the world. India features among the top eight countries with the highest number of TB cases. Adding to this are the “million missing cases every year that are not notified, and most remain either undiagnosed or unaccountably and inadequately diagnosed”, states the National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Elimination 2017-25. Tuberculosis cases state-wise data. Overall, the TB burden in India is highest in Uttar Pradesh (Source: Health Ministry) Interestingly, Similarly, the far more common and recurrent H1N1 seasonal flu kills more than a thousand people on average in the country. This too h...

Synopsis According to the data given by ICMR, Pan respiratory virus surveillance has been established by ICMR/DHR across 30 VRDLs. The surveillance data from December 15 to date reflects the rise in the number of cases of influenza A H3N2. About half of all inpatient severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and outpatient influenza-like illnesses were found to have influenced A H3N2. Emphasising about the clinical features of Influenza A H3N2, ICMR has said that this subtype appears to cause more hospitalizations than other influenza subtypes. "Out of the hospitalized SARI patients with influenza A H3N2, about 92 per cent are suffering from fever, 86 per cent from cough, 27 per cent from breathlessness, 16 per cent with wheezing, and additionally, 16 per cent had clinical signs of pneumonia and 6 per cent has seizures. Also, 10 per cent of SARI patients who have H3N2 needed oxygen, and 7 per cent required It further added, "The Don'ts include shaking hands or using other contact greetings, spitting in public, taking antibiotics or other medicines without consulting a doctor, eating together sitting close to others." Notably, was the first to report about the prevalence of H3N2 in January. According to Dr Arjun Dang, CEO, Dr Dangs Lab, H3N2 Influenza cases are being reported more in comparison to H1N1. He said, "In the past few weeks, we've gotten more than a few 100 tests out of which a lot of them are positive for H3N2. But it's interesting to see that we are getting le...

Rise in Influenza cases an annual phenomenon, say experts; stress on prevention through masking, cough etiquette ‘Kerala brought out guidelines on augmenting non-pharmacological interventions as early as December 2022 because Influenza cases were going up’ March 10, 2023 07:04 pm | Updated March 15, 2023 01:22 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram Amid rising flu cases and concerns over deaths due to H3N2, an influenza A subtype, doctors and public health officials have sought to reassure people that rise in influenza cases is a seasonal phenomenon and that H3N2 is not new or exceptionally dangerous. “Influenza A and B and its various subtypes and respiratory synctical virus (RSV) have been in circulation in the community not just in Kerala, but globally ever since COVID-19 transmission began waning. In Kerala, in October-November 2022 itself, out of the 3,000-odd cases of ILI (Influenza-like illness) tested, 14.3% of samples were positive for influenza virus A/B. The fact that H3N2 is dominant in circulation follows the global pattern and all the precautions we were following to prevent COVID-19 – use of masks, avoiding closed and crowded spaces and cough etiquette, hand hygiene – are very much useful in preventing Influenza also,” said R. Aravind, Head of Infectious Diseases, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram. He pointed out that the State brought out guidelines on augmenting non-pharmacological interventions as early as December 2022 because Influenza cases were goin...

• In some states, the central government expresses concern over rising Covid-19 positivity rates and H3N2 influenza cases. • Maharashtra records a spike in Covid-19 cases and deaths, along with several other states. • Health experts clarify that the H3N2 influenza outbreak in India is normal but more aggressive and long-lasting than usual. The centre government expressed concern about a gradual increase in Covid-19 positivity rates in some states, coinciding with a rise in cases of the seasonal influenza subtype H3N2. According to the Union Health Ministry's report on Tuesday, 402 new coronavirus cases were increased in India, while the number of active cases rose to 3,903. The ministry's data, updated at 8 am, also indicated two fresh deaths from the virus, with one each reported in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh. The overall death toll due to Covid-19 in the country now stands at 5,30,784. The health department has reported that Maharashtra recorded 155 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, more than double the number of cases detected the previous day, bringing the total totality to 81,38,653. Two patients also succumbed to the infection in the state. Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, Telangana, and Gujarat are among the states that have reported more coronavirus cases than others. Despite the country's overall Covid-19 test positivity rate remaining at 0.5%, there has been a rise in the positivity rate in some districts and states. Is H3N2 influenza another Covid-19? At the same ti...

In the last few weeks, Mumbai has witnessed a significant rise in influenza infections, with symptoms like fever and persistent cough. Some patients have even required hospitalisation. This year’s infection is more virulent than the cases seen previous year, with a delay in recovery, said experts. Doctors attribute it to low inoculation rate of annual influenza vaccines and subsequent impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Major hospitals in Mumbai are recording 10-12 cases of influenza daily and most are aged between 25 to 50 years. They have reported symptoms such as high fever, throat pain, cough and cold. Majority are found to be positive for H3N2, which is a sub-type of Influenza A virus, commonly referred to as the flu. “We are witnessing an increase in the number of influenza cases and many of them are quite aggressive. Some patients require hospitalisation and even ICU admissions,” said Dr Sanjith Saseedharan, consultant and head of critical care, S L Raheja Hospital, Mahim. This year, the symptoms seem to be more severe because of multiple reasons, said doctors. Many elderly patients with co-morbidities would have missed out on their annual influenza vaccine. This could also be due to the precautionary measures many followed, including avoiding crowded spaces and masking. “The pandemic could have also changed the virulence of the organisms,” said Dr Saseedharan. Treatment for mildly symptomatic patients largely involves antipyretics, decongestants, and analgesics if the...