Delhi Health Minister Calls Review Meeting as H1N1 Cases Touch 1,777
Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh will hold a meeting on Monday with officials from all government hospitals and municipal health officers to evaluate the surge in H1N1 swine flu cases across the Capital.
The health department has also issued directives to chief district medical officers, district surveillance officers, and hospitals regarding the screening, reporting, and monitoring of influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory infections. Technical guidelines covering patient categorisation, treatment protocols, ventilatory management, masks, and home care have already been distributed to medical facilities.
According to official Delhi health authorities, the city has recorded 2,392 influenza-A cases so far this year, with the H1N1 subtype accounting for 1,777 of those infections. The minister's review follows a wider health assessment meeting chaired by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda, who highlighted the necessity of early clinical management and heightened surveillance.
Singh stated that despite the increase in cases presenting with high-grade fever, there have been no reports of patients requiring ICU admission or ventilator support. He confirmed that hospitals have adequate supplies of beds, medicines, and medical equipment, urging residents not to panic.
National Centre for Disease Control data indicates that Delhi previously saw large H1N1 outbreaks with 4,307 cases in 2015, 3,627 cases in 2019, and 3,151 cases in 2024. The current tally remains below those past numbers. Delhi has not recorded any deaths linked to H1N1 since 2019, when 31 fatalities were reported.
Medical experts have pointed to weather conditions and low flu vaccination rates as contributors to the spread. Dr Neetu Jain, senior consultant at PSRI Hospital, noted that high humidity and temperatures aid viral transmission, alongside lower population immunity due to fewer outbreaks in recent years. Meanwhile, Dr Praveen Kumar, additional medical superintendent at GTB Hospital, said hospital preparedness has been enhanced to handle incoming patients.
