Karnataka reports first death of H3N2

The first death due to the H3N2 virus in Karnataka has been reported of an 82-year-old man. An official of the Health Department has given this information on Friday.

According to the district health officer of Hassan, Hire Gowda died on March 1 due to the H3N2 virus.

The DHO told news agency PTI that 82-year-old Hire Gowda, son of Halej Gowda, was confirmed to have died of the H3N2 virus on March 1. He also said that Gowda was diabetic and suffering from high blood pressure.

The health department official further said that the patient was admitted to the hospital on February 24 and died on March 1. The sample sent for testing confirmed that he was infected with the virus on March 6.

About five days back, State Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar held a meeting with the officials in view of the sudden spurt in H3N2 virus infection.

According to the health minister, the central government, in its guidelines, has set a target of 25 tests per week, and the department is testing 25 cases of SARI and ILI at Victoria and Vani Vilasa hospitals to monitor the variant.

He told reporters after the meeting that the infection can be seen in children below 15 years of age and senior citizens above 65 years of age.

Pregnant women are also more likely to become infected. He said that measures like cleanliness, avoidance of crowding and hand hygiene could tackle the spread of infection.