H1N1 Influenza Outbreak

Science Affairs Health

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In 2009, the first case of ‘Influenza A’ H1N1 was reported in Mexico, later the infection spread to a total of 214 countries.
10 years since H1N1 outbreaks in India, saw as many as 1.58 lakh persons being infected and over 10,000 succumbing to it.
H1N1 (Swine Flu) is an infection caused by a virus, a subtype of Influenza A virus (a communicable viral disease).
It is a common infection in ‘pigs’ worldwide and it can potentially infect the respiratory tract of pigs.
Sometimes, people who are closely associated with pigs or in the proximity of pigs have developed swine flu.
Since the virus is contagious, it can spread from human to human.
Respiratory transmission occurs mainly by droplets disseminated by unprotected coughs and sneezes.
Hand contamination and direct inoculation of the virus is another possible source of transmission.
An analysis in India shows that ‘Maharashtra’ has reported the highest number of cases and deaths since the influenza outbreak.
In the temperate countries, peak influenza activity is recorded in winters.
In the tropical and sub-tropical countries like in India, the primary peak of influenza activity is during the monsoon.
Overcrowding leads to increased transmission of airborne infection in India.
Infection cases are reported mainly from western parts of India, localised to Pune in Maharashtra and Jaipur in Rajasthan.
North-eastern states like Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura, which had never reported H1N1 in the past, notified 44 cases in 2017.
According to researchers, observations require further probe to understand the changing ecological and transmission dynamics.