Experts flag swine flu cases in Delhi; know details
New Delhi, July 23: As cases of Swine flu significantly increased in other states, health experts have warned about the risk of infection in the national capital.
According to the experts, Delhi had also reported a spike in the cases of Swine flu in August 2021.
"We are seeing the onset of the season of Swine flu infection. Right now cases have started to increase in Maharashtra," said Dr Avi Kumar, Senior Consultant Pulmonology, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute.
Talking about the symptoms of Swine flu, Dr Avi stated, "Swine Flu is generally caused by the influenza virus, which resides in pigs. The symptoms of swine flu are fever, sore throat, running nose and nose block. Basically, the upper respiratory system gets affected due to the virus."
Senior Consultant Internal Medicine at Indraprastha Apollo, Dr S Chatterjee further added, "I haven't seen too many cases of swine flu in Delhi, as of now. But it can happen anytime. The season will come and you will experience the same symptoms as flu."
Dr Chatterjee explained swine flu can affect other organs of the body and "it can involve the other systems as well. And then it can have different symptoms when it involves different organ systems. We have seen so many mortalities when it was at its peak and when we had an epidemic. It can lead to multi-organ failure as it involves the respiratory system."
"Swine Flu generally spreads to the people who handle pigs. Human-to-human transmission is also reported. So, it is very important for you to wash your hands regularly, either with an alcohol-based sanitiser or soap," Dr Avi added.
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"Do not touch the face of the people who have been infected and also avoid going to crowded places. People above 65 years of age, ones who have comorbidities, and young children are at higher risk of infection," he said.
According to the Fortis doctor, it can also cause death in the affected individual but is far less contagious than Covid-19.
"The symptoms of COVID-19 and Swine Flu infections are generally the same. Earlier we used to get patients who lost smell and taste after being infected with Covid, but nowadays the symptoms are almost similar. COVID-19 is more infectious, it is more contagious and spreads faster than the swine flu. The severity of the increase also increases in Covid, he added.
Hence, swine flu can definitely cause death and that's why it needs to be taken care of. However, there is still no reason to panic about it, if one gets a fever, Covid-19, Swine flu or a common cold, then the treatment becomes simpler, the doctor stated.
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-PTC News
