Kolkata: Cases of swine flu (H1N1) have seen a sharp spurt in Kolkata over the last week, with symptoms often getting severe. Several private city hospitals have many swine patients admitted.Scores have tested positive for the virus. Swine flu cases had been reported since July. Now, there has been a further spurt and numbers have not declined significantly, said physicians.At Peerless Hospital, number of swine flu patients has been consistently high over the last month. “We have seen a slight rise in positive cases over the last week. While many have been treated at the OPD, we have had seven to eight H1N1 patients admitted consistently over the last month. Some patients have had severe symptoms. No death has occurred,” said Peerless Hospital chief microbiologist, Bhaskar Narayan Chaudhury. Making things worse, H2N1 or seasonal influenza cases have also remained high.“Since the symptoms are overlapping, many are getting tested,” added Chaudhury. The surge has peaked with monsoon rain gaining intensity. The H1N1 – one of the several sub-types of swine flu – thrives with temperature fluctuation and high humidity. Such weather conditions have been prevailing in the city currently. Common symptoms have been high, persistent fever, upper respiratory tract infection, severe body ache and diarrhoea, said physicians. “Many are reporting for treatment with similar symptoms but are not tested. The symptoms are severe for a significant number and many have required admission, especially the elderly and those with comorbidities,” added Chaudhury.He added that vaccination against swine flu is now necessary, especially for children and the elderly. “It will be most effective if taken in April before monsoon onset,” he said.Charnock Hospital has received a similar flow of patients with swine flu symptoms. While some have tested positive, several have been admitted with severe upper respiratory tract infection, said Charnock emergency head Nishant Agarwal.At Manipal Hospitals, swine flu patients started coming in as early as May, which is unprecedented, said infectious diseases physician Sayan Chakrabarty. “We had around 80 patients with symptoms in July, out of whom a significant number tested positive for swine flu at the Dhakuria unit. There has been no drop in numbers,” said Chakrabarty.BP Poddar Hospital has not received any confirmed case of swine flu so far. “Most of these patients are being managed symptomatically and monitored for any secondary infection,” said Satyaki Basu, internal medicine consultant at BP Poddar.Since July, the hospital OPD has been receiving an average of five to six patients every day with fever and other symptoms.Making things worse, H2N1 or seasonal influenza cases have also remained high. “Since the symptoms are overlapping, many are getting tested,” added Chaudhury.
