Over one million infulenza cases recorded in Indian since Jan: Experts

India is currently witnessing a significant rise in influenza infection across the country. According to the integrated health information platform, India has seen a large number of cases of acute respiratory illness or influenza-like illness from January to March 9^th this year, amounting to nearly one million.

Over 3000 laboratory-confirmed cases of various influenza subtypes were also reported during this period. Flu cases were also on the rise last year, with a roughly 16-fold increase in India from 2021.

Influenza prevention

As seasonal influenza poses a public health concern, it is important to take measures to address India’s flu burden. With the aim to raise awareness about influenza prevention, global healthcare leader Abbott hosted a roundtable in Chennai to educate people on how to protect themselves, their families, and the community against infection.

At the roundtable, leading expert Dr. V Ramasubramanian, Senior Consultant Infectious Diseases, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai and Medical Director, Capstone Multispecialty Clinic, Chennai commented, “Tamil Nadu has recorded the second highest number of influenza cases in India last year, and the highest in January 2023. It is important to understand influenza and the preventive measures to protect against this seasonal infection and its complications. With influenza strains evolving every year, the WHO updates vaccine recommendations based on the strain currently in circulation. This makes annual flu shots important for optimal protection, especially as immunity supported by the vaccination can decrease after a year.”