A person who died on March 1 in Alur taluk of Hassan district of Karnataka was infected with the H3N2 influenza virus that causes seasonal flu.
The laboratory test of the samples collected from the 87-year-old person confirmed the infection on March 3, two days after his death. He had co-morbidities, like asthma and hypertension, said Dr. Shivashankar, the Surveillance Officer.
According to the District Health Officer of Hassan, Hire Gowda died due to the virus on March 1.
“It is confirmed that Hire Gowda, son of Halage Gowda, 82 years, died of H3N2 virus on March 1,” the District Health Officer of Hassan told PTI.
The staff of the Health and Family Welfare Department collected samples from residents of the place where the death was reported. However, there was hardly anyone with symptoms, like fever. No other case of H3N2 had been detected in the district, the officer added.
Symptoms of Influenza A virus subtype H3N2
“H3N2 is not a new virus per se, but it is something that has not been in circulation for a significant amount for a very long time. It is newish and therefore people do not have any pre-existing immunity to it and therefore we are seeing an excess number of patients falling ill,” told Dr. Subramanian Swaminathan, Director of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Gleneagles Global Hospital in Chennai to The Hindu.
Some of the common symptoms of Influenza A virus subtype H3N2 are:
- Persistent coughing
- Fever
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Throat ache/sore throat
- Body ache
- Diarrhoea
- Symptoms of cold
Also Read | H3N2 virus: No cause for panic, do not pop antibiotics without advice, says Health Minister
(With input from PTI)
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