J&K, Ladakh witness decline in seasonal influenza deaths: Health Ministry

Srinagar, Feb 12: Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have witnessed a decline in seasonal influenza deaths and cases, the Union Health Ministry, which maintains the record of seasonal influenza under its Integrated Diseases Surveillance Programme (IDSP), said.
As per IDSP figures, J&K and Ladakh reported 77 swine flu cases in 2018 and 14 deaths in the same year. In 2019, these two regions saw a massive increase in cases as 447 cases and 27 deaths were reported in the same year.
Similarly, in 2020 J&K and Ladakh reported 106 cases and zero deaths. In 2021, there was again a record decline in cases and no deaths were reported for the second year.
In 2022, as per IDSP data, there were again three swine flu deaths and 69 cases were reported in J&K and Ladakh. Likewise, 2023 saw 39 cases of seasonal influenza while no causality was reported in the two regions.
Swine flu or H1N1 or Seasonal Influenza is a seasonal infection that usually occurs every year with two peaks which include January to March and July to September.
As pert doctors, preventive measures such as covering the nose and mouth with a tissue or handkerchief while coughing or sneezing, and frequent handwashing with soap and water, are advisable to help prevent the spread.
A senior professor of medicine GMC Srinagar said weather changes bring flues and these die down with the weather changes. “All viruses are seasonal like H1N1 flu and these happen every year. We cannot avoid it we have to adapt to it. In severe cases, the flues require hospitalization,” he said.
Doctors said the relatively low number of cases over these years doesn’t mean that there would be fewer cases in the current year. There could be a possible winter spike in the winter months.
They said the use of masks and social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic situation has also contributed to a decline in swine flu cases as it too was a respiratory infection.
A doctor at GMC Srinagar said a person having fever, cough, sneezing and running noose could be a case of H1N1 influenza saying it doesn’t mean the person would be H1N1 positive. “It may be any type of flu. These are common viral infections, which happen in any part of the world,” he said.