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H3N2 Outbreak in Mumbai: Higher Number of Cases Reported Than COVID-19

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that at present they have 32 influenza patients admitted out of which 4 are H3N2 and 28 are H1N1 patients. The civic body said all the patients are stable.

H3N2 Outbreak in Mumbai: Higher Number of Cases Reported Than COVID-19
(Representational Image) H3N2 Outbreak in Mumbai: Higher Number of Cases Reported Than COVID-19
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In a major concern, the state health department reported two deaths in the last seven days due to H3N2, a subtype of Influenza A virus, confirmed the state health minister in the state assembly on Wednesday, March 15.

The deceased have been identified as a 23-year-old MBBS student from Ahmednagar and a 72-year-old man from Nagpur with co-morbidities.

The MBBS student was found positive for both COVID-19 and H3N2 after he died on March 13.

The 72-year-old man tested positive for H3N2 on March 7 and died on March 9 and was a patient of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), high blood pressure and diabetes.

Maharashtra health minister Tanaji Sawant stated that there have been 303 H1N1-positive patients and 58 positive cases of H3N2 till March 13. Most of the cases are found in cities such as Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Sangli, Kolhapur and Aurangabad. There have been three deaths due to H1N1.

H1N1 (swine flu) cases are usually seen in February and March, but this time, H3N2 infection is also severely affecting people.

Moreover, owing to the rapid spread of influenza viruses, the health department has directed all the districts to detect H3N2 cases and to send daily reports on the H3N2 cases from their jurisdiction.

Besides, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that at present they have 32 influenza patients admitted out of which 4 are H3N2 and 28 are H1N1 patients. The civic body said all the patients are stable.

So far in 2023, the city has reported 118 cases of influenza viruses. Since January, 118 influenza cases (15 H3N2 and 105 H1N1 cases) have been reported, said BMC out of which 19 cases (18 H1N1, 1 H3N2) were reported in January, 46 (39 H1N1, 7 H3N2) in February and 53 (46 H1N1, 7 H3N2) cases in March till date.

Meanwhile, experts have said that the state, especially Mumbai, has been seeing more infections from H3N2 than COVID-19.

BMC health official has issued guidelines, which are circulated to all private practitioners. It noted that if fever doesn’t subside within 24 hours then Oseltamivir shall be immediately started without waiting for results of diagnostic tests (Swab is not mandatory in such cases).

Experts suggested that several H3N2 cases could be going unreported, as people are avoiding test because of its high cost, sources said. Even several doctors have not been recommending tests and instead treating patients based on symptoms.

It is pertinent to note that H1N1 has a high mortality rate, but not H3N2. However, H3N2 infection lasts long. People infected with swine flu have a cough and cold, and fever and recover in two-three days. Whereas, in case of an H3N2 infection, it takes up to a week for fever to go away, and about a month for cough and weakness to vanish.

The state health minister asked the people to start wearing masks and maintain social distancing as a precautionary measure and said chief minister Eknath Shinde will be holding a meeting on H3N2 today, March 16, or Friday, March 17, to decide further course of action. They have issued directives and have asked the health department to stay on alert.

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