The first half of 2017 has seen a spurt in the number of deaths and infections caused by Influenza A (H1N1), popularly referred to as swine flu in India. Till July 9, H1N1 affected 12,460 people and caused 600 deaths as against 1,786 infections and 265 deaths in the whole of last year. Dr Pradeep Awate, state surveillance officer, Maharashtra, said this could be because young people move a lot, and are therefore vulnerable to swine flu, which is an air-borne infection. His state has topped the list in the country with 2,324 cases and 284 deaths so far. “Also, if we compare deaths reported due to communicable diseases such as TB or diarrhoea, the swine flu-related deaths are much lower,” he said.

Source: Hindustan Times July 17, 2017 02:15 UTC