Bhubaneswar: Suffering from sore throat, high fever, cough and cold for two weeks? You could be infected by a combination of influenza virus strains like H1N1 and H3N2, according to doctors. General physicians and pulmonologists said the complaints of patients with similar symptoms are on the rise in the city.
Dr P N Sahu, a senior medicine specialist, said he is attending to at least 10-12 patients with complaints of severe pain in the throat, difficulty in swallowing even fluids, low-grade fever, cough and cold.“There is a prevalence of more than one strain of virus in the atmosphere like H1N1 and H3N2, leading to such problems in many patients. Not only adults but many children are also suffering from acute pain and fever that is continuing for a couple of weeks,” said Sahu. He advised remedies like gargling with warm saline water, eating semi-liquid home-cooked food and avoid going out.

“We noticed many patients are starting antibiotics without consulting doctors and discontinuing without completing the course. This could lead to serious health problems and antibiotic resistance. Patients must consult doctors,” Sahu added.
Some patients are coughing for longer periods and experiencing post-viral fatigue, leading to weakness and body pain.
“I started to suffer sore throat with fever about two weeks ago. I had to reduce food intake drastically due to severe body ache. Though throat pain has subsided, I am having night cough and body pain even after 20 days. Now it has infected my child,” said Sasmita Mohanta, a private employee.
Of the total OPD patients daily, around 10% are complaining of sore throat and flu-like symptoms. “It seems a new virus variant or multiple strains are causing this condition as they are mutating fast. It is very important to rule out the patients are not suffering from dengue or scrub typhus as the symptoms are quite similar. Since the symptoms are persisting for more than a week, patients must consult a doctor,” said Dr Sameer Sahu, head of the department of medicine, IMS and SUM Hospital.
“If high-grade fever, cough and breathlessness continue for a few days, then proper diagnosis is required. A PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test can diagnose if it is influenza or not, and treatment can be started immediately. Flu vaccination is advisable as a preventive measure,” said Dr Niraj Mishra, senior medicine specialist.

We also published the following articles recently