‘Seasonal Influenza’: health ministry keeps watch on situation

H3N2 subtype: ICMR issues advisories, cases expected to decline by March-end

GN Bureau | March 10, 2023


#health ministry   #health   #H3N2   #Seasonal Influenza   #public health  
(GN Photo) picture for representative purpose only
(GN Photo) picture for representative purpose only

Given an unusual uptick in the cases of “seasonal influenza” in the recent days, the health ministry Friday said that it was keeping a close watch on the situation in various states/UTs through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) network on real-time basis.

The Ministry is 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 context of seasonal influenza. So far, Karnataka and Haryana have confirmed one death each from H3N2 influenza.

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 other after monsoon season. The cases arising from seasonal influenza are expected to decline from March end. State surveillance officers are therefore fully geared to meet this public health challenge.

Real-time surveillance through countrywide network of labs

A near real-time surveillance of cases of Influenza like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) presenting in OPDs and IPDs of health facilities is undertaken by Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

According to the latest data available on IDSP-IHIP (integrated health Information Platform), a total of 3038 laboratory confirmed cases of various subtypes of Influenza including H3N2 have been reported till March 9 by the states. This includes 1,245 cases in January, 1,307 in February and 486 cases in March (till March 9).

Further, the IDSP-IHIP data from health facilities indicate that during the month of January 2023, a total of 397,814 cases of Acute Respiratory Illness/Influenza Like Illness (ARI/ILI) were reported from the country that increased slightly to 436,523 during February, 2023. In the first nine days of March 2023, this number stands at 133,412 cases.

The corresponding data for admitted cases of severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) is 7,041 cases in January 2023, 6,919 during February 2023 and 1,866 during the first nine days of March 2023.

In 2023 (till February 2), a total of 955 H1N1 cases have been reported. Majority of the H1N1 cases are reported from Tamil Nadu (545), Maharashtra (170), Gujarat (74), Kerala (42) and Punjab (28).

In India, an integrated surveillance of Influenza like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) for the detection of human influenza virus and SARS-COV-2 virus is ongoing through structured ILI/SARI surveillance network of 28 sites. The surveillance network is comprised of 27 DHR-ICMR’s Virus Research & Diagnostic Laboratories and country’s National Influenza Centre (WHO-NIC) housed at ICMR-National Institute of Virology Pune, also a WHO Collaborating Centre for Global Influenza Surveillance & Response System (GISRS).

During the period of first nine weeks (January 2 to March 5) of 2023, the surveillance network has monitored the human influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 infection in SARI and ILI cases. The influenza typing results are summarized below:

It can be seen that Influenza H3N2 is the predominant sub-type among the samples testing positive for influenza, since the beginning of this year.

Public Health Measures

Guidelines on seasonal Influenza: The ministry has provided guidelines on categorization of patients, treatment protocol, and guidelines on Ventilatory management to the States/UTs which are also available on the website of the ministry (www.mohfw.nic.in) and NCDC (ncdc.gov.in). MOHFW has also advised the State Governments for vaccination of health care workers dealing with H1N1 cases.

ICMR has also issued an advisory regarding this.

Drugs and Logistics


Oseltamivir is the drug recommended by WHO. The drug is made available through the Public Health System free of cost. Government has allowed sale of Oseltamivir under Schedule H1 of Drug and Cosmetic Act in February 2017 for wider accessibility and availability. Adequate logistics is available with the States. However, in case of any emergencies the Govt. of India has been providing the support to the States to tide over the crisis.

Additionally, NITI Aayog will hold an inter-ministerial meeting tomorrow, i.e., 11th March 2023 to review the Seasonal Influenza situation in the states and for ways to further support them in terms of public health measures, management guidelines and protocols to manage the increasing Seasonal Influenza cases.

Comments

 

Other News

PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana completes first year

On February 13, 2025, the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY) will mark its first anniversary, celebrating a year of empowering households with affordable solar energy and accelerating India’s transition to a sustainable future. Launched by prime minister Narendra Modi on Febru

How to leverage AI to solve urgent global issues

The world seems to be hurling towards World War III in all the possible scenarios: hot war, cold war, and proxy war. The battleground seems to have expanded beyond physical to digital or virtual/mixed reality with technology like drones. Moreover, the line between civilian and military targets seems to hav

Budget: Progress towards SDGs and areas for improvement

The Union Budget 2025-26 outlines India`s vision for economic and social growth while also reflecting the country`s commitment to sustainable development. As India moves closer to the 2030 deadline for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this budget presents a balanced approach

Repo rate cut by 25 basis points to 6.25%

The Reserve Bank of India has, for the first time in five years, reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points to 6.25% with immediate effect. Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate will stand adjusted to 6.00% and the marginal

Amitav Ghosh’s new work: Connections between the word and the world

Wild Fictions: Essays By Amitav Ghosh HarperCollins, 496 pages, Rs 799.00 Amitav Ghosh, one of a handful of Ind

How markets can help (and also hinder) fight against pollution

In the annals of environmental policy, few ideas have been as transformative as the Emissions Trading System (ETS). Born from the minds of economists in the late 1960s, this market-based approach to pollution control has evolved from a theoretical concept to a global tool in the fight against climate chang

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now



Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter