Jharkhand reports first case of H3N2, five fresh cases of COVID-19

Jharkhand reported its first case of H3N2 influenza, besides five fresh cases of COVID-19, a health department official said on Sunday.

A 68-year-old woman, who was admitted to Tata Main Hospital (TMH), Jamshedpur with symptoms of cold and fever on Thursday, tested positive for influenza virus H3N2 on Saturday, the official said. Confirming the report, the Civil Surgeon of East Singhbhum district, Dr Jujhar Manjhi said the victim was kept in an isolation ward and is under observation.

The victim did not have any travel history, he said. Meanwhile, state's total active cases of coronavirus reached 10 with five new cases of the disease reported on Saturday. Ranchi and West Singhbhum districts have reported two cases each, while Deoghar registered one case on Saturday.

Earlier, Deoghar, East Singhbhum and Latehar districts reported one case each, while Ranchi two, according to Covid bulletin of health department.

With addition of fresh cases, Jharkhand's coronavirus caseload rose to 4,42,589 since outbreak of the disease. As many as 4,37,247 people have been cured of the disease so far, while 5,332 persons succumbed to the infection.

Jharkhand has tested 926 samples for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said. However, a section of the doctors claimed that number of cases might increase if testing was increased.

India has been witnessing a steady rise in the number of flu cases with symptoms including high grade fever and persistent cough for the past two-three months. According to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) experts, the mounting infections are due to Influenza A subtype H3N2, which lasts between five to seven days.

Common symptoms of Influenza A subtype H3N2 include cough, sore throat, nausea, body ache and diarrhoea. The flu could also lead to hospitalisation, with some cases escalating to requiring ICU admission. In severe cases, reports citing doctors said, patients developed pneumonia and bronchiolitis.

Elderly people, children and pregnant women are most vulnerable to getting infected.