Nearly 98% of influenza cases tested across the country were Influenza A (H1N1) , a top official of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Tuesday, adding that hospitalisation rates remain low, with severe illness largely restricted to high-risk individuals.
There are two peaks usually— monsoon and winter— and the cases that we are seeing are usual for this time of the year. We haven’t found any trend or pattern out of the usual that should concern us. Dr Bahl acknowledged that while the number of infections may have increased in the past few weeks, there weren’t many severe cases requiring hospitalisation. ”Some cases are severe, but the number is not unusually high. “We can never know when the peak is going to hit until the number of cases start plateauing and then coming down. There are some patients in ICU needing oxygen but these are people who already had compromised lungs.”
“Our surveillance network has shown that about 98% of the cases that are tested are of H1N1; however, there is no need to panic as there is no shift in the seasonal flu pattern that we normally see. He underlined that there was is a robust surveillance network in place in 23 hospitals across the country that function as sentinel sites for syndromic and other testing. “There are 73 labs that test at least 25 samples each in a week for severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and influenza-like illness (ILI) to know which pathogens are circulating in the community.
Having said that, we have to be watchful and follow preventive measures,” Dr Bahl said. And those who require admission are usually people who have some underlying medical condition,” he said. So far, the trend shows the number of infections is going up,” he said. Dr GC Khilnani, chairman, PSRI Institute of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, said the ”silver lining is that there is also a section of young healthy adults that isn’t showing much symptoms even though there is a large number of patients whose tests are returning positive for H1N1.
Earlier reporting noted: H1N1 accounts for 98% of Influenza A cases in India: ICMR chief The H1N1 strain accounts for nearly 98% of Influenza A cases currently detected in India, with H3N2 making up only 2-3% of cases, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) director-general Rajiv Bahl said on Tuesday (August 25, 2026). People aged above 65 and those who are immunocompromised could discuss vaccination with their doctors, he said.
Earlier reporting noted: Speaking at a press conference here, he said there was no urgent need for the general population to take the seasonal flu vaccine. Bahl said it was a recommendation and not a directive. The Union government has also decided not to include the influenza vaccine in the National Immunisation Programme, he said.
There may, however, be some time before the infection peaks. Earlier reporting noted: Asked about the World Health Organization’s recommendation on seasonal influenza vaccination, Dr.
