New Delhi: India is in the grips of the flu, one that leaves most people with a painful rasping cough that lasts for days, sometimes weeks, with experts attributing the surge in cases to low immunity and the relative unpopularity of annual flu shots in the country.
In the past two months, there has been a significant rise in influenza infections, said Dr GC Khilnani, former head of the pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine department at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and current chairperson of the PSRI Institute of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine.
“Every other person is down with fever, cough, loss of voice and breathlessness,” he added. “An uncontrollable cough, with or without wheezing, is a frequent symptom. The Influenza A virus (H3N2) is frequently diagnosed when tested.”
The surge in flu cases in the country comes in the context of a similar surge in the West between September and January, according to the World Health Organization, with many regions seeing such infections returning to levels typically seen in pre-pandemic years. During this period, influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2) and influenza B viruses circulated, although the proportions varied across countries. In most countries, influenza A virus detections outnumbered influenza B.
A research paper, “Household Transmission of Influenza A viruses in 2021-22”, published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) in early February this year, said the surge was caused by low immunity among people and a decline in flu vaccination .
“Influenza virus infections declined globally during the Covid-19 pandemic. Loss of natural immunity from lower rates of influenza infection and documented antigenic changes in circulating viruses may have resulted in increased susceptibility to influenza virus infection during the 2021-2022 influenza season,” it summarised.
In India, influenza vaccines, or flu shots that need to be taken every year, never really became popular.
Dr Akshay Budhraja, senior consultant (respiratory and sleep medicine) at Aakash Healthcare, said that many patients have been complaining of a prolonged cough post-flu.
“Many patients are getting infected with flu causing viruses like influenza, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), adenovirus, rhinovirus etc. Post viral cough is a well-known entity. A secondary bacterial throat infection usually occurs after getting flu, which needs more care and treatment,” he said.
Dr Budhraja added, “The probable reasons for prolonged cough are air pollution hampering respiratory immunity, new mutant pathogens which need research, post-nasal drip, allergic airway, reflux diseases (acidity), irrational use of antibiotics etc.”
Dr Khilnani said that prolonged symptoms could be pushing several patients to indiscriminately use antibiotics and cautioned against this; there is no need to panic, he added.
Dr Manoj Goel, director (pulmonology), Fortis Memorial Research Institute, said that the best way to combat the infection would be by wearing a mask and avoiding crowded places. “The vaccine against common flu is available and people must take it,” he recommended.
And like they usually do at this time of the year, children are coming down with Strep throat, said doctors. This is an infection in the throat and tonsils caused by bacteria called A Streptococcus. The condition can be painful, and apart from a sore throat, symptoms include pain when swallowing, high fever, read and swollen tonsils that sometimes show white patches.
“We are seeing cases of Strep throat but there is no unusual surge as such; it is common around this time. There is no need to worry,” said Dr Anupam Sibal, senior paediatrician and group medical director, Apollo Hospitals.
