PUNE: Extended rainfall, wide fluctuations in day and night temperatures and co-circulation of other influenza viruses are among the reasons for the sharp rise in swine flu cases and deaths in the state in the last two months, experts said.
Scientists at the Punebased National Institute of Virology (NIV) have confirmed that the positivity of both influenza viruses (H1N1 and H3N2) has collectively gone up to over 10% in September.
“There are chances that the H3N2 influenza virus is the causative factor behind a sizable number of people falling sick in addition to swine flu. Besides the seasonal spike, the co-circulation of both the virus types is one of the reasons for more cases of influenzalike illnesses these days. The H3N2 virus is co-circulating not only in Pune and Pimpri
Chinchwad, but in other parts of the state as well,” senior NIV scientist Mandeep Chadha had told TOI in a recent interview.
Apart from
Nashik, Pimpri Chinchwad and Pune, many other places in Maharashtra have also recorded swine flu casualties. Nagpur and
Kolhapur have recorded five casualties each, while Solapur, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad and Akola have recorded four casualties each till September-end.
The health department’s statistics showed that 6,118 positive swine flu cases and 669 fatalities were recorded in the state in 2010. The next year, 42 positive cases and six deaths were recorded across the state, while in 2012, 1,560 cases and 135 fatalities were recorded.
In 2013, there were 643 cases and 149 deaths, while in 2014, the state registered 43 deaths and 115 cases.
In 2015, the highest number of swine flu positive cases and deaths were recorded at 8,553 and 905, respectively. In 2016, 82 cases and 26 deaths were recorded in the state. In 2017, the number of positive cases and deaths stood at 6,144 and 778, respectively.
Picture for representational purpose only.
