‘Climate may be causing swine flu’

Mumbai: Climate and local weather patterns may also be causing the spread of swine flu, experts in the state have said as they observed a similar surge in influenza cases over the past 10 years.

State head of epidemiology and infectious diseases’ expert, Dr Pradeep Awate, said that such ki-nd of flu reaches its peak twice a year. The first spur is seen in the post-monsoon season and the second at the end of winter (January-February) but the pattern has not improved.

“In Maharashtra, there were no deaths reported till July last year but as the monsoon withdrew and winter set in, the next few months saw an incre-ased death rate and the st-ate ended up with 461 dea-ths, highest in the count-ry in 2018,” said Dr Awate.

Dr Awate also observed that hot and humid weat-her discouraged the spre-ad of the H1N1 virus whi-le cold and dry weather encouraged it. He stated that while the link betw-een cold weather and H1N1 had been scientifically established, more work needed to be done on the relationship between the virus and humidity.

“Even after available facilities and reporting biases are taken into account, we have observed that the monsoon patterns in some areas affect the spread of virus,” said Dr Awate.