Influenza A virus subtype H3N2 causes influenza. It can to affect both birds and mammals. The most common symptoms witnessed in patients who have the virus include fever, cough and feeling out of breath; these last for one or a maximum of two weeks. The H3N2 Virus is in reality a non-human virus that mostly circulates in pigs which in recent times has begun infecting humans.
A 4-year-old girl, hailing from Ranchi in Jharkhand is the second confirmed case of the H3N2 Virus in the state, reports corroborate. The girl has shown symptoms of cough, fever, cold, and pneumonia (shaking chills, shortness of breath, unbearable chest pain, low energy, fatigue, loss of appetite, greenish-yellow or bloody mucus, shallow breathing, wheezing), according to Dr. Rajesh Kumar to TOI. He also added that the girl’s samples were sent to private laboratories where it was verified that she was infected with the virus. Even though the patient is now under isolation and on oxygen support, her health condition is not precarious, reports convey.
At present, the virus has caused 9 people to depart life. It affects the young and old the same. The virus spreads via the respiratory air droplets released by an infected individual. Health experts have conveyed only one caveat and that is that the viral infection may have a debilitating impact on those amidst a vulnerable throng of people. Even though no one is immune to the H3N2 virus, a certain set of people are more likely to develop complications in case they are infected with the seasonal flu. For instance, people who are more than 65 years old and pregnant women are more likely to develop complications than any other person not belonging to these categories. Health agencies have also revealed that individuals with health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, asthma, weakened immune systems, and neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions are also at a higher risk to catch the virus; these individuals are more susceptible to the H3N2 virus. Besides, children below the age of 5 are also more likely to develop complications owing to the virus. The reason for the following was given by US CDC that children born after the year 2001 (age ≤ 9 years in 2010) have little to no immunity against the virus; adults are less susceptible to the virus because they might have been previously exposed to similar kinds of viruses in their lifetimes.
For safety reasons, it is crucial to possess knowledge regarding when a person is highly contagious. According to the health reports, those individuals infected by the virus may be able to spread the disease one day prior to when the symptoms turn conspicuous. They also suggest that several individuals remain infectious for a long time, while infants and those with a compromised immune system remain contagious for even longer. If in general, it is to be said, people remain infectious for 3-4 days of their ailment.
It is said that the H3N2 virus in the young and old may be treated using the same influenza antiviral drugs that treat seasonal flu. The currently recommended drugs include oseltamivir, zanamivir, peramivir and baloxavir. Apart from that, taking proper rest, drinking adequate amounts of fluids and using over-the-counter painkillers such as acetaminophen or Ibuprofen to reduce the fever is very essential. The initial days of the ailment (4 to 8 days) are characterized by high fever and cold and the cough may persist for two to three weeks. In most cases, as said by doctors the infection lingers between 5 to 15 days only.
