Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 10: After two deaths in the country due to influenza caused by the H3N2 virus, the centre expressed the optimism on Friday that the seasonal influenza cases were expected to decline by the end of the current month.
Two persons, one each in Karnataka and Haryana have died in the disease caused by H3N2 virus.
In a statement on Friday the Union Health Ministry said it was keeping a close watch on the seasonal influenza situation in various states and union territories through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) network on a real-time basis and that the cases are expected to decline by March-end.
The Ministry said it was also tracking and keeping a close watch on morbidity and mortality due to the H3N2 subtype of the seasonal influenza. “Young children and old age persons with co-morbidities are the most vulnerable groups in the context of seasonal influenza. So far, Karnataka and Haryana have confirmed one death each from H3N2 influenza,” the ministry said.
An 82-year-old man in Karnataka’s Hassan is believed to be the first to die of H3N2 in the country. Hire Gowda was admitted to hospital on February 24 and died on March 1, according to officials. He was reportedly a diabetic and suffered from hypertension.
The Haryana patient was a 56-year-old lung cancer patient who had tested positive for H3N2 in January. He died on Wednesday at his home in Jind, according to reports. Around 90 cases of the H3N2 virus have been reported in the country. Eight cases of the H1N1 virus have also been detected.
Cases of flu have been rising in the country over the past few months. Most of the infections are caused by the H3N2 virus, also known as “Hong Kong flu.” This virus causes more hospitalisations than the other types of flu in the country.
“Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses which circulate in all parts of the world, and the cases are seen to increase during certain months globally. India every year witnesses two peaks of seasonal influenza: one from January to March and the other after the monsoon. The cases arising from seasonal influenza are expected to decline from March-end,” the health ministry said.
Only H3N2 and H1N1 infections have been detected in India so far, both having symptoms similar to Covid-19 which infected millions across the world and caused 6.8 million deaths. After two years of the pandemic, the rising flu cases have triggered concern among people.
The symptoms include persistent cough, fever, chills, breathlessness and wheezing. Patients have also reported nausea, sore throat, body-ache and diarrhoea. These symptoms can persist for about a week. According to experts, the virus is highly contagious and spreads through coughing, sneezing and close contact with an infected person.
Doctors have advised Covid-like precautions, including regular washing of hands and masks. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) urges covering one’s mouth and nose while sneezing and coughing, plenty of fluids, avoiding touching the eyes and the nose, and paracetamol for fever and body ache.
The infection may be severe for high-risk groups like older adults and younger children, besides people with weakened immune system because of chronic medical problems. The Indian Medical Association recently urged doctors not to prescribe antibiotics to patients before confirming whether the infection is bacterial, as they can develop a resistance.
Some of the medical practitioners believe that “It is time for resuming COVID-era preventive protocols for we have to increasingly live with evolving viruses.” However, the doctors said there was no need to panic and one must avoid taking random medication.
According to doctors, Influenza viruses, which cause the infectious disease known as flu, are of four different types: A, B, C and D. Influenza A is further classified into different subtypes and one of them is the H3N2. According to the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), H3N2 caused the 1968 flu pandemic that led to the death of around one million people globally and about 100,000 in the US.
A 2020 study, published in the journal Nature Communications, found that the strains of the virus have dramatically evolved in the past five decades as people born in the late 1960s and 1970s got infected by it as children.
According to the IMA, an infection caused by H3N2 generally lasts for five to seven days and the fever starts going away after three days. However, the coughing can persist for up to three weeks. As per the IMA, this virus usually preys on individuals below the age of 15 years or above 50 years of age. Children and those with co-morbidities like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, weakened immune systems and neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions are at a higher risk.
Doctors maintained that self-hygiene was the best way to thwart the spread of H3N2. Washing hands before eating or touching your face, nose or mouth, carrying pocket sanitiser, and avoiding people already infected with the virus or any other seasonal flu. Moreover, a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables can also play a significant role in improving immunity. Drinking a lot of fluids, and eating home-cooked, low-spice and low-fat food can also help, doctors said.