New kind of seasonal flu: comes in short

City doctors are noticing a new variant of influenza affecting patients these days. In the past six months,patients have reported shorter bouts of influenza in repeated cycles.

City doctors are noticing a new variant of influenza affecting patients these days. In the past six months,patients have reported shorter bouts of influenza in repeated cycles. Doctors say this shorter version of the seasonal flu was noticed during the initial H1N1 scare.

Thirty-two-year-old Geeta Sharma,an executive with a multinational,says she has been unable to concentrate on her work for three months now due to repeated bouts of flu. I had temperature on the first day,which then subsided,though I continued to have cold and cough for the next three days. I didnt see a doctor since it appeared to be common cold. About 10 days later,the fever resurfaced,and so did the cold and cough, says Sharma. She adds,This time I decided to see a doctor,and got a prescription for a round of antibiotics. And once again,the fever subsided immediately,though the cold lasted for the week despite the medication.

Medical literature suggests that life of seasonal influenza is seven days and in some cases even lesser followed by a prolonged spell of cough and weakness. Patients come with symptoms similar to that of classic influenza like sore throat,dry cough,bodyache,lethargy etc, said Dr Om Shrivastav,a consultant with the infectious diseases department at Jaslok and visiting faculty at Kasturba Hospital.

Story continues below this ad

These clinical profiles were similar to H1N1 but negative on throat swab and have a peripheral smear of a typical viral infection, said Dr Shrivastav,who has come across one such case almost every day since June last year. Even as these are mild cases and dont require hospitalization,doctors warn that it could become severe and patient can be bed bound. Repeated cycle of influenza results in poor performance and loss of working hours.

Dr Vijay Panjabi,former president of Indian Medical Association (IMA) and a consultant in Santacruz,has also noticed this phenomenon among patients since December-end. People of all age groups are increasingly complaining of repeated bouts of flu, said Dr Panjabi who has seen about eight to ten such cases.

According to Dr F D Dastur,physician and director of medical education at P D Hinduja Hospital,the reason behind this trend could be due to patients partial immunity. Immunity of population is building up because of the recent swine flu epidemic. However,it is partial and with partial immunity towards seasonal flu they may get an aborted illness, he said.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram