352 H3N2 cases in Maharashtra, treatment underway: Health Minister

• Maharashtra has so far reported 352 patients with the H3N2 virus
•  “Their treatment is ongoing and hospitals have been asked to be on alert. H3N2 is not fatal and can be cured with medical treatment. There's no need to panic." he added
• According to data from the Union Health Ministry, 451 cases of the H3N2 virus were reported in the country from January 2 to March 5

Maharashtra has so far reported 352 patients with the H3N2 virus, Health Minister Tanaji Sawant said on Wednesday.  “Their treatment is ongoing and hospitals have been asked to be on alert. H3N2 is not fatal and can be cured with medical treatment. There's no need to panic." he added.

According to data from the Union Health Ministry, 451 cases of the H3N2 virus were reported in the country from January 2 to March 5. It also said that it is closely monitoring the situation and that the number of cases is expected to decrease from the end of the month. However, as the country witnesses an increase in H3N2 flu cases, so do the number of deaths. A 58-year-old woman died in Gujarat after contracting the virus on Tuesday, officials said. She was undergoing treatment at SSG Hospital in Vadodara.

On Friday, India reported two deaths in Haryana and Karnataka. With the new death reported in Gujarat, India's death toll from the H3N2 virus has climbed to 3. Besides, hospitals in Delhi are also witnessing a rise in cases of the H3N2 virus, which causes symptoms like fever, chills and body aches and in some cases leaves a persistent cough that leaves patients extremely debilitated, doctors said.

There has been almost a 150% increase in patients coming to the OPD with such complaints, they said. The minister on Saturday urged people to remain alert and not panic that the H1N1 subtype dominated the reported flu cases in the state so far and the death rate for both infections was very low.

“As a precautionary measure, the government has introduced the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) to quickly identify the outbreak. All seasonal flu cases are closely monitored on a daily basis,” said Patel.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recently issued an advisory asking people to avoid self-medication and the use of antibiotics during this flu epidemic. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), H3N2 is a non-human influenza virus that normally circulates in pigs and has infected humans.