Maharashtra sees 82 per cent increase in H3N2 cases in five days

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In the last five days, Maharashtra recorded an 82 per cent rise in H3N2 cases in the state. While from January 1 to March 15, the state reported 119 H3N2 cases, the public health department's data shows the number of cases increased to 217 by March 19.

On Monday, the state's public health department released data that stated that since January 1, Maharashtra reported over 200 cases of H3N2 on March 19 (the highest number of cases since the data was made public by the state). This year, the state reported one suspected death due to H3N2, the data further revealed.

According to the doctors, there has been a significant rise in the number of cases in a week. Speaking about the rise in H3N2 cases in Mumbai, Dr Abhishek Subhash, Consultant, Internal Medicine at Bhatia Hospital, "The increase in H3N2 cases is significant for a week, though it has been going on for a month. The contributing factors are fluctuating temperature which was unusually hot in February and rain in March. This causes the influenza virus to thrive more."

Out of 10 patients around six to seven of them have flu symptoms. This amounts to almost 60 per cent of the cases. In the past 2-3 weeks many pregnant women have been coming with flu symptoms, said Dr Subhash.

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Talking about the precautionary measures, he added, "People who have the flu symptoms should wear a mask to avoid spreading it to others. People especially those who have autoimmune disorders, diabetes, heart problem, underlying lung problems especially asthmatic, COPD, chronic kidney disease and people undergoing chemotherapy, transplant patients, and pregnant women should wear masks. Elderly people and those with comorbid conditions should take the Influenza vaccination and keep their disease under control through regular checks with their physicians."

The data also revealed that 407 cases of H1N1 (swine flu) and three deaths were reported in the state this year till March 19. Interestingly, the National Centre for Communicable Disease (NCDC) data shows that Maharashtra reported 170 cases of H1N1 till February 28 and two deaths. The swine flu cases in Maharashtra increased in the month of March.