GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED

QUESTION NO.5512 TO

BE ANSWERED ON 26TH JULY, 2019

H3N2 VIRUS

5512. DR. SHASHI THAROOR: Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) whether his Ministry maintains data for the H3N2 virus, which is a common and widely spreading form of influenza in India; (b) if so, the details thereof indicating the cases detected and deaths reported due to such disease since 2009, State/UT-wise and year-wise; and (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) to (c): Influenza, commonly known as the “flu”, is an acute infection of the respiratory tract caused by influenza viruses. Influenza A (H1N1) virus, now a seasonal influenza virus co- circulates with other seasonal viruses (namely influenza A (H3N2) and influenza B viruses). Government of India does not specifically maintain country-wide case data of H3N2 virus. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is actively involved in monitoring and controlling the seasonal influenza cases in the country. A network of 12 laboratories under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) is dedicated in its efforts for supporting the influenza surveillance and testing by Real time RT-PCR. In addition, another network of laboratories (VRDL labs) under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is also providing facilities for diagnosis and research for influenza in the country. Most of the labs in these networks are testing and carrying out surveillance for seasonal influenza A (H3N2) in addition to Influenza A H1N1. The laboratories send their data to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and IDSP, where the data is compiled and analysed for cases confirmed in the laboratories’ network. Data of seasonal Influenza A H3N2 from laboratories under the IDSP lab network for the last 3 years is given in Annexure. ………………….. Annexure Year Wise Samples of H3N2 S. No. IDSP Network Labs Year 2017 2018 2019 (till 19.07.2019) Total sample tested H3N2 positive Total sample tested H3N2 positive Total sample tested H3N2 positive 1 KMC Manipal 17,261 1,318 11,010 508 8,298 370 2 BJ MC Ahmdbd 7,103 1 3,921 5 4,995 - 3 NEIGRIHMS Shillong 54 1 36 0 9 - 4 HAFFKINE Mumbai 1,849 438 376 23 431 26 5 IGMC Shimla 812 1 243 0 1,396 2 6 NIMHANS Bnglor 1,309 140 1,064 191 747 173 7 JIPMER Puducherry 1,280 50 684 1 504 5 8 CRI Kasauli 40 0 119 0 56 - 9 IPM Hyderabad 13,186 0 6,253 - 3,432 - 10 SGPGIMS Lucknow 2,469 0 396 - 1,353 - 11 PGIMER Chandigarh 1,582 0 543 - - - 12 NCDC Delhi 4,399 0 1,631 93 4,746 6