Surge in H3N2 influenza cases in Kanpur sparks concern; 50 hospitalized in a day

The rise in H3N2 influenza cases in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, following the Covid-19 epidemic, alarmed officials at the health department. When patients at Kanpur's Hallet Hospital complained of a high temperature, a persistent cough, and shortness of breath, up to 50 out of 200 were admitted in a single day.

Not only are there many patients waiting outside government hospitals, but even private hospitals are having trouble keeping up. Several cases of flu-like symptoms, including as a high temperature, a lingering cough, and acute respiratory problems, have been documented in Kanpur.
The emergency unit at Hallet Hospital became overcrowded, forcing staff to move patients to other wards.

"Every year owing to changes in the weather, many such cases are noticed, but this time the number of patients is particularly high," said Dr. Richa Giri, head of the medicine department at Hallet Hospital.
Patients are traveling from neighboring districts like Aurraiya and Kanpur Dehat to Kanpur. "Only 23 to 24 individuals have been admitted in the last 24 hours complaining of breathing difficulties and receiving oxygen treatment," she stated. 

"Since this virus is a subtype of influenza A, it is challenging to distinguish it from Covid-19 and is only achievable after the test. When there is a separate kit for each kind, testing it gets challenging, she continued.