H3N2 in India: Karnataka, Haryana report first deaths, cases likely to decline from March-end

The Ministry is also tracking and keeping a close watch on morbidity and mortality due to the H3N2 subtype of the seasonal influenza

As India reported the season’s first two officially-documented H3N2 deaths from Karnataka and Haryana, the Union Health Ministry on Friday asked the states to be on alert for the next couple of weeks while assuring that seasonal influenza cases would decline by March end.

The two deaths come days after the Indian Council of Medical Research said the H3N2 virus was responsible for more than 50% of respiratory illnesses that rose across the country in recent weeks.

Also Read | 78-year-old man from Hassan becomes first victim of H3N2 in Karnataka

Releasing the surveillance data, the ministry said about half of the patients hospitalised for severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) or who had sought outpatient consultations for influenza-like illness (ILI) since January had been found infected with H3N2.

But since in the majority of flu cases the virus is not properly identified, there are just about 3,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of the H3N2 virus, as per the government’s integrated disease surveillance programme. In addition, there are 955 H1N1 cases.

The IDSP data shows 1,245 laboratory-confirmed H3N2 cases in January. The count increased to 1,307 in February and 486 (up to March 9) this month. The surveillance network also recorded nearly a million ILI/SARI cases in the last two and a half months.

A second flu surveillance maintained by ICMR also revealed an overwhelming presence of the H3N2 subtype of the influenza virus in the last nine weeks.

Also Read | Bengaluru hospitals see rise in viral fever cases among kid

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the flu situation with officials before an alert was issued to the states. “An advisory has been issued to states to be on the alert and closely monitor the situation. The Centre is working with states and extending support for public health measures to address the situation,” Mandaviya tweeted.

NITI Aayog will hold an inter-ministerial meeting on Saturday to take stock of the seasonal influenza situation in states and deliberate on ways to further support them in terms of public health measures, management guidelines and protocols to manage the increasing number of such cases.

India typically witnesses two peaks of seasonal influenza every year: one from January to March and the other in the post-monsoon season. “The cases arising from seasonal influenza are expected to decline from March end. State surveillance officers are fully geared to meet this public health challenge,” the ministry said in a statement.

Even as the government keeps a close watch on H3N2 morbidity and mortality, experts said young children and old age persons with co-morbidities were the most vulnerable.