New Delhi (Web Desk): An unknown virus, has symptoms identical to swine flu, claimed 64 lives in and around the Indian city of Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Times of India reported.
According to the report, Dr Amit Malakar, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) nodal officer from the Indian National Centre for Disease Control, said: “There is a common nature of virus found in the samples of these 64 patients. In most cases, it was found that the patient was suffering from cold and cough. The virus attacks the immune system and leads to death.”
The report further states that according to officials, recently instead of H1N1, samples were found H2N3 positive and medicines given to swine flu positive patients were not effective.
Dr Malakar added: “Every year swine flu virus changes its genes, which are identified by the health department and accordingly antiviral medicines are updated. In 2015, the virus identified as California swine flu... mutated to a new form of virus identified as the Michigan H1N1 influenza in the next two years.”