Chennai has been grappling with an influenza surge, which has left the hospitals packed. The cases are on a rise resulting in the most hospitalisations in the monsoon months, says a survey done by the directorate of public health in Chennai.
While monsoon rains have also contributed to the flu season, the cyclonic storms in the Bay of Bengal have also affected the weather conditions in the city.
While the flu in Chennai peaks in October and November, the flu season is between September and January.
The director of public health Dr TS Selvavinayagam says that the surge in fever cases, respiratory ailments and vector-borne diseases such as dengue happens every year just like it is happening this year.
Blood serum samples of 300 people who were suffering from cold, cough and body pain have been screened by the state public health department in Anna Salai in the past few days.
Samples from government and private hospitals were tested and nearly half of them came out positive for Influenza A which is one of the four types of influenza.
H3N2 which causes the common flu was seen to be the most common strain followed by H1N1 flu, commonly known as swine flu.
While Chennai is suffering from Influenza cases, Coimbatore administration has issued a set of precautionary measures for the people. These measures can help them avoid getting infected by the flu.
District collector Kranthi Kumar Pati said in a statement that the northeast monsoon is triggering the surge in the flu cases across the district. He advised use of masks in crowded areas, drinking boiled water, washing hands with soap frequently and high protein intake.
Health camps are being conducted in the city along with fever camps. The government is also taking data of those being admitted at both government and private hospitals to keep a track of the number of cases.
The cases have increased from 20-30 per day to 50 cases per day. The situation in Coimbatore is however not alarming and at an epidemic stage and preventive measures that have been issued will ensure that the virus does not spread further.
