BackDelhi hospitals witness spike in H3N2 cases, hospitals prepare for emergency
Delhi is witnessing 150% spike in the OPD patients coming with complaints related to symptoms of influenza virus
PremiumDelhi is witnessing a rise in the number of H3N2 influenza cases with doctors claiming a 150% spike in OPD patients coming with complaints related to symptoms of the influenza virus. The doctors are citing various reasons for the jump in the number of patients and the hospitals have also started stocking up on vaccines for any eventuality.
Dr. Viny Kantroo, Consultant, Respiratory, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine Consultant, at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, told news agency PTI that the sudden spike in cases can be attributed to seasonal change, mutation of the virus and the economy being fully open.
"Children are going to school and they are transmitting it to the elderly. A lot of cross-country travel is happening. In the last two years, Covid was the dominant virus and there were restrictions but with the relaxation of norms and return of normalcy, these outbreaks are being observed," she opined.
Another senior doctor informed that a 15-member medical team has been constituted to look after the patients and the hospitals are also stocking up on medicines as per the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP) in Delhi Government has set up a 20-bed isolation ward in case of any emergency block for such patients.
Dr. Rajiva Gupta, Senior Consultant - Internal medicine at the CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, and Delhi, said the ILI (Influenza-like illness) cases have seen a spike in the last few days.
"For instance, if we were seeing two to three patients in OPDs last month, this month there is one-and-a-half times rise. The symptoms are fever, discomfort, cold, and body aches. In some cases, patients also experience abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, and even fullness in ears," he added.
The approach towards treatment changes in case the patient has some comorbidities and the family members of the patient are asked to monitor the BP, pulse, oxygen saturation levels, and consciousness levels, the doctor added. The patient will need hospitalization in case the critical levels fluctuate.
"Among these, subtype A is the most commonly found. One subtype of the influenza A virus is H3N2, which produces symptoms similar to other flu viruses such as cough, fever, cold, sore throat, fatigue, muscle pain, and respiratory complications, especially in children under two years, the elderly, and those with other medical conditions," Dr. Vikas Deswal, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, Medanta, Gurugram said while talking about the different strains of the virus.
(With inputs from PTI)
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