Amid a rise in H1N1 (swine flu) cases in several parts of the country, Punjab has recorded 93 confirmed infections since late July, with the majority reported in Ludhiana, the state’s most populous district.
Doctors at Ludhiana’s Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) have reported a noticeable rise in patients presenting with seasonal influenza and other viral infections. “It is like seasonal influenza. Cases are on the rise throughout the country and Punjab is no exception. We have already established isolation wards in government hospitals. The National Centre for Disease Control has issued technical guidelines to states on H1N1, including protocols for patient categorisation, home care, clinical management, sample collection and laboratory testing.
The figure is sharply higher than last year, when the state had recorded only seven swine flu cases up to the end of September 2025, according to Union health ministry data. The rise in Ludhiana is significant as a recent study of H1N1 trends in Punjab found the district had recorded the highest number of cases in the state in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Teams are on the ground and surveillance has also been increased,” the minister said. A doctor at Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala also said there had been a noticeable rise in patients reporting fever, cough, body ache and other symptoms associated with viral infections. Describing the infections as part of the seasonal influenza pattern, Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh on Saturday said only some patients had so far required hospitalisation.
