Experts warn about Swine flu cases in Delhi; know what it is, how concerned you should be

Health experts have warned about the risk of Swine Flu infection in the national capital, as cases have significantly increased in other states amid the ongoing surge of Coronavirus infection.

As per the experts, Delhi had also reported a spike in the cases of Swine flu during August 2021.

"We are seeing the onset of the season of Swine flu infection. Right now cases have started to increase in Maharashtra," Dr Avi Kumar, Senior Consultant Pulmonology, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute said.

When asked about the symptoms of Swine flu, Dr Avi said, "Swine Flu is generally caused by the influenza virus, which resides in pigs. The symptoms of swine flu are fever, sore throat, running nose, nose block. Basically, the upper respiratory system gets affected due to the virus."

Senior Consultant Internal Medicine at Indraprastha Apollo, Dr S Chatterjee also said, "I haven't seen too many cases of swine flu in Delhi, as of now. But it can happen anytime. The season will come and you will experience the same symptoms as flu."

According to Dr Chatterjee, Swine flu can affect other organs of the body. He said, "it can involve the other systems as well. And then it can have different symptoms when it involves different organ systems. We have seen so many mortalities when it was at its peak and when we had an epidemic. It can lead to multi-organ failure as it involves the respiratory system."

"Swine Flu generally spreads to the people who handle pigs. Human to human transmission is also reported. So, it is very important for you to wash your hands regularly, either with an alcohol-based sanitizer or soap," Dr Avi said.

"Do not touch face of the people who have been infected and also avoid going to crowded places. People above 65 years of age, ones who have comorbidities, and young children are at higher risk of infection," he added.

According to the Fortis doctor, it can also lead to the death of the individual affected but is considerably less contagious than Covid-19.

"The symptoms of COVID-19 and Swine Flu infections are generally the same. Earlier we used to get patients who lost smell and taste after being infected with Covid, but nowadays the symptoms are almost similar. COVID-19 is more infectious, it is more contagious and spreads faster than the swine flu. The severity of the increase in also increases in Covid, he said.

Hence, swine flu can definitely cause death. That's why it needs to be taken care of. But there is still no reason to panic about it, if one gets a fever, Covid-19, Swine flu or a common cold, then the treatment becomes simpler, the doctor added.

Maharashtra has reported more than 142 cases of Swine Flu and seven deaths, so far, while Uttar Pradesh and Kerala have also reported cases.

( With inputs from ANI )