Can H3N2 Flu Virus Lead To Another Pandemic? Dr Shahid Jameel Explains

'H3N2 is tricky...but this is not the first time we're seeing flu,' says Virologist, Dr Shahid Jameel.

H3N2 Virus spreads in India: What to know

(Photo: The Quint)

"People are worried because the H3N2 virus is a particularly troublesome virus. It doesn't get controlled very easily."

Dr shahid Jameel, Virologist

Cases of severe flu caused by the influenza H3N2 virus have been on the rise in the country for the last few months.

New cases are being recorded every single day, and some deaths have been reported as well.

How seriously we should be taking it? Can H3N2 lead to another pandemic in the country? Virologist Dr Shahid Jameel breaks it down.

Why Is H3N2 Spreading Now?

H3N2 is not a new virus. In fact, cases of the virus first peaked in 1968, and it's been around since then.

In 2021, even at its peak, around 30 cases of H3N2 were recorded per week. However, this time around, around 60 cases per week are being recorded.

Why are we seeing a surge in cases of the variant in India now?

"I think what has happened between 2021 and 2023 is that if you recall in 2021, many of us were still wearing masks. In 2023, we not wearing masks. So we were getting this indirect protection," says Dr Shahid Jameel.

"Since we did not get much flu in 2020 and 2021 because of masking, many people's immunity against flu went down because there was so little population infection. And as a result of that, we are seeing now that cases are going up," he adds.

"It's the cases that are going up. It's not mortality that is going up."

Dr Shahid Jameel, Virologist

Dr Jameel goes on to add that while nine or ten deaths have been recorded, but "it's likely to be in older people, in people who have immuno-compromised systems."

‘Pollution Is a Bigger Concern'

According to Dr Jameel, something that is far more concerning is the high levels of air pollution in India.

"It is known that high levels of air pollution causes damage to the upper and lower respiratory systems. And any kind of damage is going to just make any respiratory viral infection much worse off."

Dr Shahid Jameel, Virologist

Who is vulnerable to severe flu?

• People who are on cancer therapy

• People who have had a transplant

• Older people

• Children

"Children have weakened immune system also because children have not been exposed to flu naturally like adults have," says Dr Jameel.

Can H3N2 Lead to Another COVID-Like Pandemic?

"It's not going to cause a pandemic," says Dr Jameel. "This is not the first time we've had flu."

"It comes it peaks of three or four years and then there'll be a period of quiet and then it'll come up again," he adds.

"Flu viruses are circulating in the environment much more extensively than the cold viruses that are all kinds of mammals that are host to the flu virus. And its circulation is very complex."

Dr Shahid Jameel

Do everything that is sensible, he says.

• Wear a mask

• If you can afford it, take the vaccine (especially if you're above 50 years of age)

"But most importantly, don't panic. Just because it's coming after COVID doesn't mean that it is another pandemic," he reiterates.

Watch the full video on The Quint.