An ICMR survey has shown that 50 per cent of the respiratory infection cases admitted to hospitals in over two month are of H3N2 influenza, the government told the Lok Sabha on Friday.
A total of 1,161 cases of H3N2, which is a subtype of seasonal influenza virus, have been reported between January 1 and March 20, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in a written reply.
She said most of these cases showed symptoms of cough and fever.
The minister said H3N2 is a viral respiratory infection and antibiotics have no role in its treatment.
However, she added, sometimes in a respiratory infection a bacterial infection may also occur and therefore physicians may prescribe an antibiotic to take care of the secondary bacterial infection.
According to the data shared by her, Delhi (370) reported the highest number of H3N2 cases followed by Maharashtra (184), Rajasthan (180) and Karnataka (134).
Ms Pawar said the Health Ministry is monitoring the situation and taking steps to support states and UTs in management of influenza cases, including H3N2, which include issuing an advisory for closely following the trend of influenza-like illness (ILI) or severe acute respiratory infection (SARI).
The ministry has asked states and UTs to monitor the proportion of SARI cases among all infection cases and refer sufficient number of samples for testing for influenza, SARS-CoV-2 etc.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
AAP vs BJP Over Timing Of Delhi Government Women's Scheme
Seasonal Flu: Here Are 8 Preventive Measures Against Respiratory Infections Expert Tells How To Differentiate Between Covid-19 and H3N2 Symptoms; Know Prevention Steps India Reported 1,317 H3N2 Cases From Jan 1-March 21, Parliament Informed Bengaluru Techie Loses Rs 11.8 Crore After "Digital Arrest" 'Was Ahead Of His Time': Professor On Trump's Indian-Origin Pick For AI "Daughter Doesn't Know Her Mother's Dead": 'Pushpa 2' Stampede Victim's Husband 21 Cybercriminals Arrested For Duping People Of Rs 125 Crore: Police Parts Of Delhi Face Water Shortage As Ammonia Levels Rise In Yamuna Navy's Warship INS Tushil Docks In London On Maiden Operational Deployment Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.