india

Updated: Jan 18, 2019 10:22 IST

India has reported 1,694 cases of influenza A H1N1 (swine flu) with 49 deaths till January 13 this year, which is more than double the 798 cases reported in all of January 2018. There were 14,999 confirmed cases in 2018 and 1,103 deaths.

The rise in the number of flu cases usually happens in north India in January and around February-March in peninsular India. “The cases are usually on the higher during winters with drop in mercury, so it isn’t unusual to have more cases in January,” said an official from the National Centre for Disease Control, requesting anonymity. “In India, the predominant virus strain this year is H1N1. Many viruses are there in environment, sometimes conditions get conducive for a strain to thrive, which results in increase of numbers,” said the official.

Rajasthan is the worst affected with 789 cases and 31 deaths in the first two weeks of 2019. Gujarat, Delhi and Haryana are the other affected states with high number of cases. According to World Health Organization estimates, influenza infects 5-15% of the world’s population each year, causing fever, lethargy and cough. While it is a self-limiting infection, hospitalization may be needed for high-risk populations, such as the elderly, children and people with co-morbid conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer etc.