Mumbai has seen an increase in swine flu (H1N1) cases, with 377 cases reported in the city between January to June this year, which is 53% of the total cases reported in Maharashtra.
According to statistics, 712 cases of H1N1 have been reported in Maharashtra since January and three deaths have been reported in the state so far, but none in Mumbai.
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8% increase in cases in Mumbai in 2023
This year there has been an 8% increase in cases in six months compared to 346 cases of swine flu reported in the city last year. However, a senior infectious disease expert at the state health department said the number was not alarming as it was not an epidemic outbreak and blamed poor air quality for the high number.
According to senior health officials at civil-run hospitals, there are currently 10 to 15 cases of swine flu with high-grade fever and fatigue as the most common symptoms. Some patients require respiratory support with ventilation and are admitted to the ICU. Older people with comorbidities are at greater risk of developing severe symptoms.
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“Swine flu and other mosquito-borne illnesses are on the rise, but the severity and smog of upper respiratory infections helps us diagnose and treat the disease more accurately. Due to the presence of multiple influenza strains, each year a different strain emerges as dominant. It is important to consider these changes in strain types and subtypes while developing vaccines to ensure maximum efficacy,” said a senior health official. However, influenza viruses have remained highly contagious since the 2009 swine flu pandemic.
Patients with severe symptoms are treated with anti-flu doses
Recently, doctors at Bhatia Hospital in Mumbai treated two swine flu patients, a 42-year-old man and a 70-year-old diabetic woman, who complained of high-grade fever, severe body aches, runny nose, body aches. Sore throat, cough with phlegm and shortness of breath. After 48 hours, both patients developed mild chest crackles and swine flu pneumonia, detected in the upper respiratory tract by the BioFire test. He was given Tamiflu or anti-flu dose twice a day and saw improvement, said Dr Samrat Shah, consultant internist at Bhatia Hospital.
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