H3N2 Influenza Virus: Another Death In India? 23-Year-Old MBBS Student Passes Away in Maharashtra

There has been no official confirmation yet, but sources said the post-mortem of the Maharashtra student showed the presence of the H3N2 virus in the blood. He had recently tested positive for Covid-19 too.

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Over the past few weeks, flu cases have risen in India which is in the clutches of an influenza outbreak. H3N2 has been the dominant subtype followed by H1N1. Both these subtypes belong to Influenza 'A' type.

While India has confirmed two deaths due to H3N2 - one in Karnataka and another in Haryana - there have been reports of another death in Maharashtra, though no confirmation was available. According to sources, a youth studying MBBS has reportedly died in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, and H3N2 virus has been found in his blood during post-mortem.

The 23-year-old man, who is pursuing MBBS in a medical college in Ahmednagar, had gone to Alibaug in Konkan with friends for a picnic last week. His health deteriorated after coming from there, and when he was tested, he was found to be Covid-19 positive. After that he was admitted to a private hospital in Ahmednagar where he died at 10 pm on Monday (March 13). His post-mortem reportedly revealed that the H3N2 virus was found in his blood, but there has been no official confirmation about the same.

In another case, a 58-year-old woman died due to flu-like symptoms at a state-run hospital in Vadodara city of Gujarat, an official said on Tuesday (March 14). When asked if the H3N2 influenza virus was the cause, the official said samples have been sent for testing and a review committee will determine the exact cause of the woman's death. The patient was shifted to Sir Sayajirao General (SSG) Hospital on March 11 from a private facility. She died on March 13, said Resident Medical Officer (RMO), SSG Hospital, D K Helaya, to PTI.

Last week, the central government issued an alert to all the states regarding the H3N2 virus. Earlier, an 82-year-old man became the first victim of the H3N2 virus in Karnataka.  According to the District Health Officer of Hassan in Karnataka, Hire Gowda died due to the virus on March 1. "It is confirmed that Hire Gowda, son of Halage Gowda, 82 years, died of H3N2 virus on March 1," the DHO told PTI. He also said Gowda was a diabetic and suffered from hypertension as well.