7 THINGS TO KNOW

h3n2 takes  a fatal turn in India

The H3N2  influenza is spreading rapidly across India. Patients are reporting flu-like symptoms which  last for 5 to 7 days. 

A 58-year-old woman died in Gujarat after contracting the H3N2 influenza virus. With this, India’s death toll due to the virus climbed to seven. An 87-year-old man from Karnataka's Hassan district was the first patient to succumb to H3N2 on March 1. 

Several ICU cases of kids, under the age of 5, have been reported in Pune. Delhi is also seeing a spurt in ICU cases of elderly patients.

In Pune, doctors have expressed concerns over a sudden rise in the number of children, especially those aged below 5, landing in the intensive care units (ICUs) of hospitals with acute H3N2 infection. Most of these patients were not responding to medication, especially the antibiotics.

The common symptoms are high-grade fever, cough, breathing problems and pneumonia. The recovery period is about 7-8 days. 

In Delhi, hospitals are witnessing an increased number of ICU admissions with H3N2 viral pneumonia, mostly with severe comorbidities and older than 75 years of age.

Doctors advise wearing mask and other Covid-like precautions like washing hands, avoiding crowded places or working in the office or school/colleges to stop the spread of virus