Several States are recording a spike in H1N1 cases, among other influenza-like illnesses, viral fevers, and respiratory tract infections. Experts say there is no cause for alarm, but advise that children with asthma and other chronic conditions might require special intervention.
Government doctors also confirmed they are seeing patients with symptoms of flu-like illness, but since routine testing for H1N1 is not conducted at government hospitals, it is difficult to classify them. The H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, is a subtype of influenza A, and can cause respiratory illness, with symptoms including fever or chills, cough, sore throat, a runny or blocked nose, headache, tiredness, and muscle or body aches. In some cases, patients may also experience vomiting and diarrhoea. Government hospitals have set up separate isolation wards, and health officials have urged vulnerable groups, including children and older adults, to take extra precautions. Special wards have been set up at hospitals to manage the surge in cases. In Chennai, J.K. Anti-flu drugs are more effective if started in the first few days of fever.
Delhi has recorded a sharp rise in H1N1 cases, with over 1,300 infections reported this monsoon season — nearly six times higher than the same period last year. The national capital had recorded 1,344 H1N1 cases by early August, compared with 229 cases during the corresponding period last year. A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official also said cases had gone up compared to last year, with Mumbai recording 309 cases between June 1 and August 15 this year, compared to 72 cases during the same period in 2025. He advised that children suspected of having influenza should be tested within 24 to 48 hours of developing symptoms.
Reddy, a senior paediatrics consultant at Apollo Children’s Hospital, said they have been seeing cases of H1N1 among children for the past two weeks, with a slight rise in cases this week. Ravinder Nayak, Telangana’s Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, said the number of H1N1 cases in the State was lower than in the corresponding period last year. Vijay Kumar, superintendent of Niloufer Hospital, Telangana’s premier State-run tertiary care centre specialising in maternal, neonatal, and paediatric medicine, said the hospital had seen an increase in outpatient consultations for viral fevers from June to August, but there has not been any significant rise in H1N1 or influenza cases so far.
