Silver lining: No mutation of H1N1, says study

Experts say Tamiflu still works, Reliefin sight, disease incidence set to go down in summer months.

NIV authorities said throat and nasal swabs were being collected as part of a study. (Source: Express Archive)

The H1N1 (swine flu) virus has not mutated and patients are still responding to Tamiflu, a joint study by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reveals. Swine flu has taken 585 lives in the country in the first two months of the year.

Virologists said the same California strain of 2009 was responsible for the disease here as well. There have not been any relapse of swine flu cases and in a month’s time, with summer in cases are expected to come down.

Dr M S Chadda, Deputy Director of NIV, when contacted, said throat and nasal swabs were being collected as part of a study to understand the spurt in H1N1. The virus is isolated and studied after tissue culture. “We are sequencing the virus to check for any mutation. So far no change has been detected.”

In western countries, the predominant strain has been seasonal influenza A (H3N2) unlike in India where the California strain of 2009 is prevailing. The virus was isolated in laboratories in California and the one circulating in India is similar to the original 2009 virus, officials explained.

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NCDC officials pointed out that change in weather conditions could have been responsible for the unusual spike in H1N1 cases. The sudden rise could be due to climate change and while there were sporadic cases, two months ago high transmission rate of the virus had led to a spurt in H1N1 cases. So far, we have had no cases of swine flu relapse.

The number of swine flu cases in 2014 was 937 and death toll was 218. In 2013 there were 5,253 cases and the disease claimed 699 lives.

There were 5044 cases and 405 deaths in 2012.

This year, across the state 442 cases of swine flu (139 from Nagpur, 127 from Pune and 109 from Mumbai) were detected. A total of 16 persons are on ventilator support across the state while 179 patients are admitted to various hospitals.

Vulnerable adults

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Maharashtra state (disease) surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate says that the virus has killed mostly adults in the age group 30-50 years. Twenty seven women and 31 men died of swine flu since January. Ten are in the age group 21-30 years while 15 deaths each are in the age group of 31 to 40 years and 41 to 50 years. Two deaths were registered in the age group of 11 to 20 years while one death each has been registered in the age group 61 to 70 years and 71 to 80 years, Awate said. There were 21 deaths in rural areas. In the state 40 people died of swine flu and associated diseases.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. ``Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) "Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. ``At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure "For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. ``Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions X (Twitter): @runaanu ... Read More

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