Context- Since the beginning of the year, at least 451 confirmed cases of H3N2 have been identified as a result of a nationwide surveillance exercise.
Key Highlights of H3N2 Flu
- According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), an increasing number of cases of fever and severe cough lasting more than a week in most of the country may be caused by influenza A H3N2, a sub-type of the flu virus.
- The infection seemed to prompt a larger number of hospitalizations than other flu sub-types. The illness brought on by Influenza A H3N2 and COVID-19 exhibited very similar symptoms.
- The flu cannot be treated with antibiotics.
- Antibiotics are only used to treat bacterial infections, and the flu is caused by a virus. If you take antibiotics without thinking about it, you might get an infection later on that won’t respond to antibiotics.
- People are becoming more susceptible to developing flu-like symptoms as a result of the sudden shift in the weather and the temperature moving from extremely cold to warm.
- The ICMR has 30 Viral Exploration and Analytic Research centers (VRDL) for respiratory infection observation.
- Patients with severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) are sampled by these VRDLs, which are connected to the best medical schools in various States.
Influenza
- Flu is a viral sickness. Orthomyxovirus, or the influenza virus, is the pathogen that causes it.
- It is a disease that easily spreads from one person to another because it is contagious.
- When an infected person coughs or sneezes, droplets of respiratory fluid are released into the air and carry the influenza virus from one person to another.
- Flu, an infections contaminate people and various creatures. Due to their potential to cause an influenza pandemic, influenza A viruses are most important to public health.
- Hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA), two different virus surface proteins, are used to classify influenza A viruses into subtypes.
- Some of the most prominent symptoms of the virus include fever, respiratory symptoms like cough and runny nose, as well as other symptoms like body aches, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
An infection subtype H3N2
- Flu An infection subtype H3N2 (A/H3N2) is a subtype of infections that causes flu (influenza). H3N2 infections can contaminate birds and warm blooded animals. The virus has mutated into numerous strains in humans, birds, and pigs.
- Symptoms can include, but are not limited to:
- Sore throat, cough, headache, body aches and pains, fever, chills, tiredness, diarrhea, or vomiting
Vaccine for H3N2
- According to the CDC, when the vaccine strains are a good match to circulating strains, the flu vaccine reduces the risk of influenza illness in the general population by between 40% and 60% during the majority of flu seasons.
- When compared to H3N2 viruses, the flu vaccine typically provides greater protection against influenza B and H1N1 viruses.
Treatment for H3N2
- A straightforward case of the seasonal flu, like H3N2, requires you to manage your symptoms while you recover. Examples of this include:
- Taking over-the-counter medications to alleviate symptoms like fever, headache, and aches and pains, getting plenty of rest, and drinking enough fluids.
- Some people are more likely to experience serious flu complications. Pneumonia or worsening of an existing medical condition, such as asthma, are examples of these complications.
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