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).
Asked about the World Health Organization’s recommendation on seasonal influenza vaccination, Dr. Dr. Antiviral medicines may be prescribed for severe or high-risk cases, while antibiotics have no role in treating viral influenza.
People aged above 65 and those who are immunocompromised could discuss vaccination with their doctors, he said. India’s influenza surveillance is being conducted through an ICMR network of 73 sentinel hospitals, where samples from patients with severe acute respiratory infections and influenza-like illness are tested regularly. A wider network of 167 virus research and diagnostic laboratories also undertake diagnostic testing.
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. Bahl said people with flu symptoms should rest at home and follow basic respiratory and hand hygiene. The ICMR chief said the present rise in H1N1 infections was consistent with the seasonal behaviour of influenza and did not constitute a public health emergency.
