Masks likely to be must for hospital staff as H3N2 cases rise; Karnataka minister K Sudhakar says no need to panic

BENGALURU: In view of the increase in H3N2 cases, the government is mulling making masks mandatory for doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers in hospitals. An official order is expected to be issued soon.
H3N2 is a variant of the influenza virus. "But there is no need to panic; guidelines will be issued soon for people to take precautions," health minister K Sudhakar said on Monday after a meeting with the Technical Advisory Committee. In recent weeks, the state has recorded 26 cases of H3N2, a respiratory infection that affects the nose, throat and lungs, and is transmitted via contact.
The minister said the infection is seen in children under 15 years of age and in senior citizens over 65. It will clear up within 2-5 days and those who have been afflicted with Covid-19 earlier seem to have more cough when infected with H3N2, Sudhakar said, adding the government will restart influenza vaccination.
Private hospitals in Bengaluru are also seeing such cases. "This year, we are getting many patients with H3N2 infection," said Dr Subramanian Swaminathan, director, infectious diseases, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital. "When an infected person sneezes or coughs, the virus can be transmitted, just like in Covid," explained Dr Bindumati PL, senior consultant, internal medicine, Aster CMI Hospital.
However, diagnosis of H3N2 remains challenging. "At the moment, we do not have technologies specifically designed to detect H3N2. Even multiplex PCR machines will only detect influenza A, influenza B and H1N1 separately. We can only identify subvariants of influenza A that are not H1N1 at specialised labs such as NIV, and based on that information alone can we determine how much of the infection is there," says Dr Swaminathan.
"The reason we don't really do so much is because treating H3N2 is the same as treating other influenza strains; both require the use of antiviral and other preventative medications," he said, adding the main problem with H3N2 is that the vaccine is just marginally effective because of how it was developed.
Asked how H3N2 is similar to or different from Covid, Dr Bindumati said Covid is also a viral infection but it is more serious compared to Influenza A virus. H3N2 is characterised by cold, cough and throat pain, symptoms similar to the ones experienced in Covid. However, unlike Covid, H3N2 does not have much lung involvement, she explained.
Meanwhile, the government said that spread of the infection can be prevented by maintaining cleanliness, preventing crowding and ensuring hand hygiene.