BENGALURU: The dreaded H1N1 virus, or swine flu, is rearing its head again with 40 people testing positive in the state in just the first 20 days of January. Of these, the majority of 22 cases were reported from BBMP limits, two from Bengaluru Urban, two in Bengaluru Rural, seven in Udupi, one in Shivamogga, three each in Dakshina Kannada and Davangere districts, according to the Department of Health and Family Welfare. While there have been no deaths so far this month, the year gone by saw 87 deaths out of the 2,030 positive cases. Medical practitioners fear that the virus is mutating as the spread of the virus is not following a seasonal pattern this year.
24 cases of H1N1 in city this month
In the first 20 days of the new year, 40 people tested in Karnataka positive for H1N1 virus, commonly called swine flu. Over half of these cases have been reported from in and around Bengaluru city.
According to figures obtained from the department of health and family welfare, 22 cases were reported from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike limits, two from Bengaluru Urban, 2 in Bengaluru Rural, 7 in Udupi, 1 in Shivamogga, 3 each in Dakshina Kannada and Davangere districts.
No deaths have occurred due to swine flu so far this month, but 87 people of 2,030 who tested positive in 2019 died from the disease.“In anticipation of the China Virus, the real threat - H1N1 - has been forgotten. It is in mid-winter that we usually get more cases of H1N1 but we are still finding cases being reported in January, when winter is almost over. It is not following a seasonal pattern this year,” said Dr. Satyanarayan Mysore, Interventional Pulmonologist at Manipal Hospital.
“The serotype (protein coating on the virus) is undergoing changes to evade the immune system. The cases are not severe but there are new cases coming up. Under-reporting also takes place because of the government mandated categories. Individuals with fever, body ache, sore throat but not requiring hospital admission and who are not diabetic/pregnant/asthmatic, are not tested for the virus. Only those with underlying medical illnesses and severe manifestation are tested by taking a throat swab,” he added.
Regional director of the ministry of health and family welfare Dr Ravikumar said “H1N1 is spread through coughing, sneezing, speaking, or by touching objects used by an infected person. There are vaccines but they do not provide immunity for long and there are new sub-types of vaccines that come out each year, as the virus modifies itself.”
Joint director for communicable diseases at the health department Dr Prakash said “Only 10 per cent of cases are complicated, of which 1 percent results in mortality. We intend to do a training programme next month for doctors of private and government hospitals in case management.”Dr Jyothsna Krishnappa, senior consultant, Internal Medicine, Apollo Hospitals, said, “Better reporting takes place in tertiary hospitals in Bengaluru which is why the numbers may be higher here.”
Pulse Polio successful: Health dept
Bengaluru: The three-day pulse polio drive, as part of National Immunisation Day, ended on Wednesday, reaching the full target. As per the Health and Family Welfare department, 64.01 lakh children were immunised (100.44 %) out of the estimated 63.73 lakh since January 19. The highest number of children immunised were in Bengaluru Urban (6.75 lakh), Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike limits (5.69 lakh), Belagavi (5.22 lakh), Ballari (3.30 lakh) and Kalaburagi (3.29 lakh). While Day One was booth-level immunisation, the remaining days involved door-to-door visits by health officers, accredited social health activists, anganwadi workers and other staffers.